18th Intelligence Squadron
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The 18th Intelligence Squadron is an intelligence organization of the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
, located at
Buckley Space Force Base Buckley Space Force Base is a United States Space Force base in Aurora, Colorado named after United States Army Air Service First lieutenant, First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley. The base is run by Space Base Delta 2, with major units includin ...
, Colorado.


History


World War II

The squadron was originally activated as the 5th Photographic Laboratory Section on 20 October 1943 at
Will Rogers Field Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
, Oklahoma. While training at
Esler Field Esler Field, also known as Esler Regional Airport , is a military and public use airfield in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States, near the City of Pineville. It is located 10 nautical miles (12 statute miles, 19 kilometres) northeast ...
, Louisiana, it was redesignated as the 5th Photographic Technical Unit on 30 November 1944 and as the 18th Photographic Technical Unit on 29 January 1945. The 18th moved overseas in the spring of 1945, arriving in Nancy/Azelot Airfield, France, little more than a month before
V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...
, on 22 March 1945. It was inactivated on 27 December 1945 at Bad Kissingen Airfield, Germany. In these early years, the unit served in the United States, France, and Germany.


Strategic Air Command

The 68th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron was activated on 10 October 1951 at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio as an original element of the 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, which was located at Lake Charles Air Force Base, Louisiana, and began to equip with
Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the Bo ...
es borrowed from other units. However, before the end of the year,
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...
decided to change the 68th Wing mission to
bombardment A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire or by dropping bombs from aircraft on fortifications, combatants, or cities and buildings. Prior to World War I, the term was only applied to the bombardment of defenseless or undefended obje ...
and the squadron was inactivated on 10 December 1951.


Redesignation and intelligence operations

On 16 October 1984, the 18th Photographic Technical Unit and the 68th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron were consolidated as the 18th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron, but the consolidated unit remained inactive. It was redesignated the 18th Intelligence Squadron on 3 September 1993 and activated on 7 September 1993 at Falcon Air Force Base, Colorado, drawing its personnel and equipment from a detachment of a
United States Air Force Security Service Initially established as the United States Air Force, Air Force (USAF) Security Group in June, 1948, the USAF Security Service (USAFSS) was activated as a major command on 20 October 1948. (For redesignations, see #Successor_units, Successor un ...
unit, which was discontinued. The squadron's Detachment 1 was organized at
Holloman Air Force Base Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base established in 1942 located six miles (10 km) southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, which is the county seat of Otero County, New Mexico, United States. The b ...
, New Mexico in June 1995, and moved to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio during the summer of 2000. Detachment 1 was the
Air Intelligence Agency Twenty-Fifth Air Force (25 AF), was a numbered air force (NAF) within the United States Air Force (USAF), and served as the Air Force's premier military intelligence organization. 25 AF was established on 29 September 2014McCullough, Amy, "ISR ...
's only transportable system conducting radio frequency phenomenology studies. Detachment 1 was discontinued on 8 June 2010 and merged with the 18th Intelligence Squadron, which moved from
Vandenberg Air Force Base Vandenberg may refer to: * Vandenberg (surname), including a list of people with the name * USNS ''General Hoyt S. Vandenberg'' (T-AGM-10), transport ship in the United States Navy, sank as an artificial reef in Key West, Florida * Vandenberg S ...
, California to Wright-Patterson. Assigned personnel provide data in support of Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency,
National Air and Space Intelligence Center The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) is the United States Air Force unit for analyzing military intelligence on foreign air forces, weapons, and systems. NASIC assessments of aerospace performance characteristics, capabiliti ...
, and
United States Strategic Command The United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USSTRATCOM is responsible for Strategic_nuclear_weap ...
missions as well as information critical to the
National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and proces ...
and other national-level organizations. The squadron provided intelligence for the planning, development, and execution of space control operations. The squadron consisted of a
headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...
element at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene County, Ohio, Greene and Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patte ...
, Ohio''See'' " e squadron flag didn't move here until 2010." and two geographically separated detachments: Detachment 2,
Osan Air Base Osan Air Base (K-55; ; Hanja: ) is a United States Air Force (USAF) and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) base located near Songtan station in the city of Pyeongtaek, South Korea, south of Seoul. Despite its name, Osan AB is not within Osan C ...
, Korea; and Detachment 4,
RAF Feltwell Royal Air Force Feltwell or more simply RAF Feltwell is a Royal Air Force station in Norfolk, East Anglia that is used by the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. The station is located about 10 miles west of Thetford, and ...
, United Kingdom. The 18th was assigned to the 544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, of
Twenty-Fifth Air Force Twenty-Fifth Air Force (25 AF), was a numbered air force (NAF) within the United States Air Force (USAF), and served as the Air Force's premier military intelligence organization. 25 AF was established on 29 September 2014McCullough, Amy, "ISR ...
of
Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...
. Through fixed and mobile sites, it provided scientific and technical collection to
National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is an intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the director of national intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and proces ...
,
Air Force Materiel Command The Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992, through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force System ...
, and the
21st Space Wing The 21st Wing (21 WG) is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force. It was established in 1953 as the 21st Fighter-Bomber Wing, deploying to Europe to join NATO's Allied Command Europe, before being inactivated in 1958. It reactivated i ...
, Passive Space Surveillance mission. Where available, it also provided limited analysis to the entities. The squadron INactivated during September 2020 and then reactivated as the US Space Force's 73rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron which assigned to
Space Delta 7 Space Delta 7 (DEL 7) is a United States Space Force unit responsible for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) for the United States Space Force. The delta provides actionable and time-sensitive intelligence for space domain oper ...
. On 26 September 2022, the 18th Intelligence Squadron was reactivated as a part of the 544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group with the headquarters relocating to
Buckley Space Force Base Buckley Space Force Base is a United States Space Force base in Aurora, Colorado named after United States Army Air Service First lieutenant, First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley. The base is run by Space Base Delta 2, with major units includin ...
, Colorado under the command of Major Ryan Laine.


Lineage

; 18th Photographic Technical Unit * Constituted as 5 Photo Lab Section on 9 October 1943 : Activated on 20 October 1943 : Redesignated 5th Photographic Technical Unit on 30 November 1944 : Redesignated 18th Photographic Technical Unit on 29 January 1945 : Inactivated on 27 December 1945 : Consolidated with the 68th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron as the 18th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron on 16 October 1984 ; 18th Intelligence Squadron * Constituted as the 68th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron and activated on 18 October 1951 : Inactivated on 27 December 1951 : Consolidated with the 18th Photographic Technical Unit as the 18th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron on 16 October 1984 * Redesignated 18th Intelligence Squadron on 3 September 1993 : Activated on 7 September 1993


Assignments

* 76th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 20 October 1943 * 69th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 19 April 1944 *
XII Tactical Air Command The XII Tactical Air Command was a formation of the United States Army Air Forces. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe at Bad Kissingen, Germany, where it was inactivated on 10 November 1947. History The 12th Gr ...
, 23 June–27 December 1945 * 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 18 October–10 December 1951 * 544th Intelligence Group (later 544th Information Operations Group, 544th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group), 7 September 1993–September 2020 * 544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, 26 September 2022–Present


Stations

* Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 20 October 1943 * Thermal Army Air Field, California, 26 November 1943 * Esler Field, Louisiana, 8 May 1944 *
Key Field Meridian Regional Airport is a joint civil-military public use airport located at Key Field, a joint-use public/military airfield. It is located southwest of Meridian, a city in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. The Meridian Airp ...
, Mississippi, c. 29 January–26 Feb 1945 * Nancy-Azelot Airfield (A-95),Station number in Johnson. France, 22 March 1945 *
Haguenau Haguenau (; or ; ; historical ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Département in France, department of France, of which it is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture. It is second in size in the Bas-Rhin only to Strasbourg ...
(Y-39), France, 3 April 1945 * Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield (Y-79), Germany, 13 July 1945 * Darmstadt-Griesheim Airfield (Y-76), Germany, 19 September 1945 * Bad Kissingen Airfield, Germany, 5–27 December 1945 * Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, 10 October 1951 – 10 December 1951 * Falcon Air Force Base (later Schriever Air Force Base), Colorado, 7 September 1993 * Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, 1 November 2004 * Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio June 2010 * Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado c. September 2022


Component elements

* Detachment 1 – Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, June 1995 – 2000 * Detachment 1 – Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, 2000 – 8 June 2010Detachments and Operating Locations are not units, but components of a unit. AF Instruction 38-101, Manpower and Organization, ''Air Force Organization'', 31 January 2017, para 4.3.3 Therefore, they have no independent lineage and are not related, even when they have the same name. * Detachment 1 – Vandenberg AFB, California, Summer 2013 – September 2020 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, (31 Aug 2000 – 8 June 2010)
Griffiss Air Force Base Griffiss International Airport is a public airport in the northeastern United States, located east of the central business district of Rome, a city in Oneida County, New York. Publicly-owned by the county, the airport is located on the form ...
, New York, 7 September 1993 – 31 August 2000 * Detachment 2 –
Osan Air Base Osan Air Base (K-55; ; Hanja: ) is a United States Air Force (USAF) and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) base located near Songtan station in the city of Pyeongtaek, South Korea, south of Seoul. Despite its name, Osan AB is not within Osan C ...
, Republic of Korea, 1 January 1994 – unknown * Detachment 3 –
Misawa Air Base is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), List of United States Air Force installations, the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, in the northern p ...
, Japan, 1 January 1994 – 30 June 2002 * Detachment 4 –
RAF Feltwell Royal Air Force Feltwell or more simply RAF Feltwell is a Royal Air Force station in Norfolk, East Anglia that is used by the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. The station is located about 10 miles west of Thetford, and ...
, United Kingdom, 1 January 1994 – September 2020 * Detachment 5 – RAF Edzell, Scotland, 1 January 1994 – 20 September 1997 * Detachment 6 – Holloman AFB, New Mexico, 1 April 1995 – 15 June 1995 (redesignated Detachment 1) * Operating Location VN – Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, 8 June 2010 – Summer 2013


List of commanders

* Lt Col Marco Escalera * Lt Col Nathaniel A. Peace, 2020 – 7 July 2022 * Lt Col Jeffrey Coverdale, 7 July 2022 – 2023 * Lt Col Christopher Seidler, 2023 – July 2024 * Lt Col Daniel Robinson, July 2024


References


Notes

; Explanatory noted ; Citations


Bibliography

* * *


External links


Buckley SFB Official Website
{{Colorado Military units and formations in Colorado 0018