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 ...

's 43d Intelligence Squadron is an intelligence unit located at

Cannon Air Force Base Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, located approximately southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. The host unit at Cannon is the 27th Special Operations Wing (27 SOW) also known as "The Steadfast Line". It is under the jurisdi ...

, New Mexico. It provides intelligence support to

Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...

Mission

The squadron is a uniquely tasked unit, chartered to provide specialized intelligence across the spectrum of conflict. Squadron personnel are trained and qualified to operate as aircrew on board almost every combat aircraft within the

inventory. By integrating all-source intelligence and electronic combat capability for special operations forces, the 43rd has made its unique intelligence resources integral to

special operations Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...

mission planning, rehearsal, and execution.

History

World War II

The 43d was first activated in Tunisia during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as the 4th Photographic Technical Squadron and assigned to the North African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing (Provisional) on 2 November 1943. When the 90th Photographic Wing replaced the provisional

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

, the 4th Squadron was assigned to it. When the 5th Photographic Group was assigned to

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Forc ...

, the squadron was assigned to it, and for the remainder of the war provided processing and interpretation of mapping, bomb damage assessment and targeting materials produced by the

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

Korean War

In August 1949, the squadron was redesignated the 363d Reconnaissance Technical Squadron. When the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

broke out in June 1950, the squadron was rushed to Japan to support reconnaissance operations of

Far East Air Forces The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at the Hickam AFB portion of Join ...

(FEAF). In September, these operations were brought together under the 543d Tactical Support Group. The squadron was inactivated in March 1951, when the

67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 67 may refer to: * 67 (number) * one of the years 67 BC, AD 67, 1967, 2067 * "67", a 1992 song by Love Battery from the album ''Between the Eyes'' * 67 (rap group), a drill music group from London * 67 Asia, a main-belt asteroid See also * 67th Re ...

took over FEAF's expanding

aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or Strategy, strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including Artillery observer, artillery spott ...

operations and its assets transferred to the 67th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron.

Cold War

The squadron was activated the same day at

Shaw Air Force Base Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is under the jurisdict ...

, South Carolina and assigned to the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. It was awarded an

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and was the first independent Air Force ...

in 1962, for its support of reconnaissance operations during the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

. It was inactivated on 1 September 1977. In 1984, the squadron was redesignated the 23d Reconnaissance Technical Squadron, but it was never active with this name.

Intelligence support for special operations forces

Shortly after the 1 October 2007 conversion of the 27th Fighter Wing to the 27th Special Operations Wing, Detachment 1,

25th Intelligence Squadron The United States Air Force's 25th Intelligence Squadron (25 IS) is an intelligence unit located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It provides intelligence support to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Mission The 25 IS is a uniquely task ...

was organized to extend the 25th's intelligence support to the wing's new mission. In response to the wing's rapid growth and demand for increased support, on 1 November 2011, the 43d Intelligence Squadron was activated to replace Detachment 1.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 4th Photographic Technical Squadron : Activated on 2 November 1943 : Redesignated 363d Reconnaissance Technical SquadronMueller, p. 313 on 4 August 1949 : Inactivated on 1 March 1951 * Activated on 1 March 1951 : Inactivated on 1 September 1977 * Redesignated 23d Reconnaissance Technical Squadron on 16 October 1984 * Redesignated 43d Intelligence Squadron on 7 October 2011Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Air Force Organization Change Status Report, November 2011, Maxwell AFB, AL : Activated on 1 November 2011

Assignments

* North African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing (Provisional), 2 November 1943 * 90th Photographic Wing, 22 November 1943 * 5th Photographic Group, c. 11 October 1944 *

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a Numbered Air Force, numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U ...

, September 1945 *

, March 1946 *

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...

, June 1946 *

Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...

, December 1948 *

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint D ...

, February 1949 * Tactical Air Command, August 1950 * 543d Tactical Support Group, c. 26 September 1950 *

Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organ ...

, 25 February 1951 – 1 March 1951 * 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 March 1951 – 1 September 1977 *

361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group The United States Air Force's 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group is an intelligence unit located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It provides intelligence support to Air Force Special Operations Command. The group was first ...

, 1 November 2011

Stations

La Marsa Airfield LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

, Tunisia, 2 November 1943 *

San Severo Airfield The Foggia Airfield Complex was a series of World War II military airfields located within a radius of Foggia, in the Province of Foggia, Italy. The airfields were used by the United States Army Air Forces' Fifteenth Air Force as part of the s ...

, Italy, 19 December 1943 *

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, Italy, c. 11 October 1944 – August 1945 * MacDill Field, Florida, 21 December 1945Mueller, p. 350 *

Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Langley Wakeman Collyer (1885–1947), one ...

(later Langley Air Force Base), Virginia, 15 July 1946 * Itazuke Air Base, Japan, July 1950 * Taegu Air Base, South Korea, October 1950 – 1 March 1951 * Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, 1 March 1951 – 1 September 77 *

, New Mexico, 1 November 2011 – present

Decorations

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

{{United States Air Force intelligence units Military units and formations in New Mexico 0043