The direct air support center (DASC) is the principal Marine air command and control system (MACCS) air control agency, responsible for the direction of air operations directly supporting ground forces. It functions in a decentralized mode of operation, but is directly supervised by the Marine tactical air command center (TACC) or the Navy tactical air control center (TACC). During amphibious or expeditionary operations, the DASC is normally the first MACCS agency ashore and usually lands in the same serial (i.e., scheduled wave or on-call wave) as the ground combat element's (GCE’s) senior fire support coordination center (FSCC). The DASC’s parent unit is the Marine air support squadron (MASS) of the Marine air control group (MACG).

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