TCASII RA DICTATED TO FLC TO CLB FROM FL240. CTLR ADVISED REMAIN AT FL240 TFC LEVELING AT 230. FO FLYING HAD ALREADY REACHED FL247 AND TCASII ANNOUNCED CLR OF CONFLICT.

Narrative

ATC COLUMBUS APCH WAS TALKING TO A MIL ACFT; POSSIBLY AN AIR FORCE ACFT; BASED AT COLUMBUS AFB; MS. HE WAS SPEAKING ON BOTH VHF AND UHF FREQS BUT OUR ACFT HAS ONLY VHF RECEIVERS; SO WE COULD HEAR HIM TALKING; BUT THE MIL ACFT RESPONDED ON HIS UHF RADIO. THUS WE WERE UNABLE TO HEAR HIS RESPONSE. THE CTLR STATED 'MTR; I AM NOT RECEIVING YOUR TRANSPONDER; CONFIRM IT IS TURNED ON.' HE REPEATED THIS STATEMENT TWICE. A FEW SECONDS LATER WE RECEIVED A TA ALERT WHICH QUICKLY TURNED INTO AN RA. 'INCREASE CLB.' THE COMMANDED RATE OF CLB WAS APPROX 1000-1300 FPM UP. I QUICKLY INITIATED A CLB WHILE LOOKING FOR THE TFC. MY ACTUAL VERT SPD WAS APPROX 1700-2000 FPM UP. WE THEN RECEIVED A 'MONITOR VERT SPD' THEN A 'CLR OF CONFLICT'. I LEVELED THE ACFT AT FL247. THE ATC CTLR WAS ADVISED BY THE CAPT WE WERE RESPONDING TO A TCASII RA ALERT AND WERE VACATING FL240. ATC (COLUMBUS APCH) RESPONDED; 'MLG; MAINTAIN FL240; THE TFC IS LEVEL AT FL230.' WE ADVISED THE CTLR WE WERE RETURNING TO FL240 AND COMPLIED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. TOTAL TIME ELAPSED WAS APPROX 15 SECONDS. ATC CTLR INQUIRED IF WE HAD HEARD HIM SAY 'MAINTAIN FL240'. WE ACKNOWLEDGED AND REPEATED OUR STATEMENT OF RESPONDING TO A TCASII RA ALERT. I PERSONALLY AM A MIL TRAINED (AIR FORCE) PLT WITH OVER 4000+ HRS OF MIL FLYING HRS. WHILE IN THE AIR FORCE UNDERGRADUATE PLT TRAINING (UPT); I FLEW THE MTR TURBOJET WITH AFTERBURNERS; WE WENT OUT TO THE MOA'S AND PRACTICED AEROBATICS BTWN 10000 FT AND 20000 FT SEVERAL TIMES. WHILE PERFORMING AEROBATICS SOME ACFT WOULD OCCASIONALLY BUST THEIR ALTS. SOME STUDENT PLTS WOULD TURN OFF THEIR TRANSPONDER WHILE CORRECTING FOR THIS ALT EXCURSION SO AS NOT TO BE CAUGHT BY ATC. I BELIEVE THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE CASE; THIS IS WHY I REACTED POSITIVELY TO THE TCASII RA ALERT. I BELIEVE THE ATC CTLR SHOULD NOT HAVE TOLD US TO MAINTAIN OUR ALT WHEN WE HAD TOLD HIM WERE RESPONDING TO A TCASII RA ALERT; THIS IS A VIOLATION OF THE POLICIES WE WERE TOLD IN TRAINING.