301st Intelligence Squadron

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301st Intelligence Squadron
Air Combat Command.png
Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Misawa Air Base Personnel Assist with Clean Up in Japanese City (Image 1 of 6).jpg
301st Intelligence Squadron officer assists with tsunami cleanup
Active1942–1955; 1978–present
CountryUnited States
BranchFlag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
Role Military intelligence
Garrison/HQ Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
Engagements Southwest Pacific Theater
Decorations Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V"
Air Force Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
Insignia
301st Intelligence Squadron emblem (Approved 5 February 1982) [1] 301 Intelligence Squadron.jpg
1st Radio Squadron, Mobile emblem 1 Radio Squadron.png
6920th Electronic Security Group emblem 6920th Electronic Security Group.PNG

The United States Air Force's 301st Intelligence Squadron is an intelligence unit located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

Contents

The squadron's first predecessor was organized in 1942 as the 138th Signal Radio Intelligence Company, a signals intelligence unit. The company served in the Southwest Pacific Theater during World War II, then moved to Japan to join the occupation forces. Redesignated 1st Radio Squadron, Mobile in 1946, the unit transferred from the United States Army to the United States Air Force in 1949 and served in Japan until inactivation in May 1955.

The squadron's other predecessor was organized at Misawa Air Base, Japan in 1978 as the 6920th Security Squadron. In October 1993, the two units were consolidated as the 301st. It continued to serve at Misawa until June 2014, when it moved to its present location.

Mission

The squadron is a partner to the 381st Intelligence Squadron at the Alaska Mission Operations Center. The unit's mission is to collect, process, analyze, and report signals intelligence on adversary operations, capabilities, and intentions. Additionally, unit personnel provide tactical analytic support to combat units and conduct communications, maintenance, and administrative actions supporting site operations. [2]

History

World War II

The first predecessor of the squadron was activated in February 1942 as the 138th Signal Intelligence Company at Fort George Wright, Washington. It received it initial cadre on 25 February drawing from the 404th Signal Company, Aviation; 434th Signal Maintenance Company, Aviation and 39th Signal Platoon, Air Base. However, it was April before a substantial number of people were assigned to the company. The company continued training at Fort Wright until May 1943, when they departed for shipment to the Southwest Pacific, Staging through Fort Dix, New Jersey. On 13 May, the company boarded the USAT Uruguay for a monthlong shipment through the Panama Canal to Brisbane, Australia. [3]

In August 1942, the squadron moved forward to Port Moresby, New Guinea to begin operations. [4] The squadron continued radio intercept operations of Japanese radio transmissions until VJ Day.

Following the war, the unit was transferred from the Army Signal Corps to the Air Corps and redesignated the 1st Radio Squadron. However, it remained part of Army Security Agency for more than a year after the United States Air Force became independent, not transferring to United States Air Force Security Service until 1 February 1949.

Korean War

The squadron remained in Japan after the war with the mission of monitoring Soviet air and air defense signals. [5] When the North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel and invaded in June 1950, the squadron's commander ordered its vehicles to be laagered on the Johnson Air Base football field in case of a parachute attack on Japan. A detachment of the squadron moved to Korea on 15 July 1950. However Fifth Air Force had established its own ad hoc signals intelligence party near Seoul, which commandeered the 1st Squadron's equipment. However, additional mobile radio intercept detachments began arriving before the end of the year. [6]

In March 1951, squadron operators in Japan began picking up voice communications in Russian between ground controllers and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 fighters. By April, the squadron had established a mobile van in central Korea, which passed information on MiGs to the Fifth Air Force tactical air control center, which passed it on to American North American F-86 Sabres, disguising the information to make it appear that it was coming from radar ground stations, even though the radio intercept van could provide warning of Soviet aircraft movements well beyond the range of American radars. Separate stations were established for intercepting enemy morse code signals dealing with both enemy and friendly traffic. After September 1951, these operations were consolidated in Seoul. The information provided by squadron operators has been credited as the major factor in the increased kill ratio of Sabre pilots over the MiG-15 in Korea starting in mid-1951, especially in view of analysis that indicated that by the fall of 1952 90% of MiG pilots in Korea were Russians. [7] In January 1951, the squadron moved to Misawa Air Base, Japan, where one of the first Elephant Cage high frequency direction finding antenna assemblies was located. [1] [8] The squadron was inactivated in May 1955, [1] and its mission, personnel and equipment transferred to the 6921st Radio Squadron, Mobile.

6920th Electronic Security Group

AN/FLR-9 "elephant cage" antenna used by the squadron at Misawa Misawa AN FLR-9.jpg
AN/FLR-9 "elephant cage" antenna used by the squadron at Misawa

The second squadron antecedent was activated as the 6920th Security Squadron at Misawa Air Base, Japan in October 1978. When USAF Security Service became Electronic Security Command, the squadron was expanded to group size as the 6920th Electronic Security Group. [1]

In October 1992, the unit became one of the operational components, with the Naval Security Group Activity, Misawa, a Marine company, and the 750th Military Intelligence Company, in the Misawa Cryptologic Operations Center. [9]

301st Intelligence Squadron

In October 1993, the 1st Radio Squadron (which had been disbanded in 1985), was reconstituted and consolidated with the 6920th Group and the consolidated squadron was named the 301st Intelligence Squadron. [1] The squadron mission at Misawa was to process time-critical combat information for unified and specified commands and the National Command Authorities. It conducted satellite communications processing and reporting. The 301st provided sensitive communications support to aircraft. It operated and maintained $500,000,000 of electronic equipment. [10]

After the massive tsunami and devastating earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale struck the coast of Japan in 2011, Airmen of the 301st devoted countless hours alongside other Americans and Japanese during Operation Tomodachi by assisting with clean-up and restoration efforts throughout Japan. [11]

In June 2014, as the Misawa operations center closed and intelligence personnel there were reduced by more than 500 people, the squadron moved from Misawa to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson when the intelligence center at Misawa closed. [11] [12]

Lineage

1st Radio Squadron, Mobile
Inactivated on 8 May 1955
6920th Electronic Security Group
301st Intelligence Squadron

Assignments

Stations

  • Fort George Wright, Washington, 14 February 1942 – 5 May 1943
  • Brisbane, Australia, 15 June 1943
  • Port Moresby, New Guinea, by c. 5 August 1943
  • Nadzab, New Guinea, by 21 February 1944
  • Biak, New Guinea, September 1944
  • Clark Field, Philippines, 31 May 1945
  • Yokota Air Base, Japan, 20 December 1945
  • Irumagawa Air Base (later Johnson Air Base), Japan, by 1 February 1946
  • Misawa Air Base, Japan, 26 January 1953 – 8 May 1955
  • Misawa Air Base, Japan, 1 October 1978 [1]
  • Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 1 July 2014 – present [11]

Awards and campaigns

Award streamerAwardDatesNotes
AFOUA with Valor.jpg Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device 1 June 2001–31 May 2003301st Intelligence Squadron [1]
Streamer MUC Army.PNG Meritorious Unit Citation 1 June 1944-1 July 1944138th Signal Intelligence Company [1]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award26 November 1950-18 July 19511st Radio Squadron [1]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award1 July 1982-30 June 19846920th Electronic Security Group [1]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award1 July 1986-30 June 19886920th Electronic Security Group [1]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award1 July 1991-30 June 19936920th Electronic Security Group [1]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award1 October 1993-30 September 1994301st Intelligence Squadron [1]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award1 October 1994-30 September 1995301st Intelligence Squadron [1]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award1 October 1999-30 September 2000301st Intelligence Squadron [1]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award1 June 2004–31 May 2005301st Intelligence Squadron [1]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award1 June 2006–31 December 2007301st Intelligence Squadron [1]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award1 June 2008–31 May 2009301st Intelligence Squadron [1]
Streamer PPUC.PNG Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation 31 May 1945-4 July 1945138th Signal Intelligence Company [1]
Campaign StreamerCampaignDatesNotes
Streamer AC.PNG American Theater without inscription14 February 1942 – 5 May 1943138th Signal Intelligence Company
Streamer APC.PNG New Guinea5 August 1943 – 31 December 1944138th Signal Intelligence Company (later 1st Radio Squadron) [1]
Streamer APC.PNG Leyte17 October 1944 – 1 July 19451st Radio Squadron [1]
Streamer APC.PNG Luzon15 December 1944 – 4 July 19451st Radio Squadron [1]
Streamer NOS E.JPG World War II Army of Occupation (Japan)20 December 1945 to 27 April 19521st Radio Squadron
Streamer KS.PNG Korean service without inscription27 June 1950 – 27 July 19531st Radio Squadron [1]

See also

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References

Notes

  1. ↑ Although only the letter J was included in the unit designation, this indicated the squadron was trained in Japanese language intercepts.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Robertson, Patsy (30 March 2012). "Factsheet 301 Intelligence Squadron (AFISRA)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson: Units and Mission". MyBaseGuide (Marcoa Publishing Co.). 21 March 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  3. ↑ 138th History of Services, pp. 3–11
  4. ↑ 138th History of Services, pp. 11
  5. ↑ Bodiansky, p. 131
  6. ↑ Bodiansky, pp. 138-139
  7. ↑ Bodiansky, p. 139-140
  8. ↑ Bodiansky, p. 160-161
  9. 1 2 Lassiter, TSG Sarah (21 March 2007). "301st Intelligence Squadron celebrates 65th anniversary". Misawa AB Public Affairs. Retrieved 12 January 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ "67th Intelligence Wing". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 Ciccarone, A1C Patrick S. (1 July 2014). "The 301st Intelligence Squadron says "sayonara" to Misawa". Misawa AB Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs (1 March 2014). "Personnel reduction expected at Misawa". Stars and Stripes Japan. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Bibliography

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