32d Intelligence Squadron

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32d Intelligence Squadron
Air Combat Command.png

32d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron - RF-4C Phantom IIs - RAF Alconbury - 1970.jpg

Squadron RF-4C Phantom IIs at RAF Alconbury in 1970
Active 1943-1945; 1952–1976; 1991-present
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
BranchFlag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
Type Squadron
Role Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
Part of Air Combat Command
Garrison/HQ Fort George G. Meade, Maryland
Engagements European Theater of Operations
Mediterranean Theater of Operations [1]
Decorations Distinguished Unit Citation
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award [1]
Insignia
32d Intelligence Squadron emblem (approved 18 July 1996) [1] 32d Intelligence Squadron.PNG
Patch with 32d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron emblem 32dtrs-emblem.jpg
Patch with 32d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron emblem (approved 17 January 1955) [2] 32d tactical reconnaissance squadron-emblem.jpg

The 32d Intelligence Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force 707th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group located at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

United States Air Force Air and space warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.

707th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group

The 707th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group is a unit of the United States Air Force 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing located at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

Fort George G. Meade United States Army installation

Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, the Defense Courier Service, Defense Information Systems Agency headquarters and the U.S. Navy's Cryptologic Warfare Group Six. It is named for George G. Meade, a general from the U.S. Civil War, who served as commander of the Army of the Potomac. The fort's smaller census-designated place includes support facilities such as schools, housing, and the offices of the Military Intelligence Civilian Excepted Career Program (MICECP).

Contents

Overview

The 32d Intelligence Squadron is a specialized organization that consists of teams of intelligence professionals who support global power and secure and maintain information superiority by conducting operations that support Air Force, joint, combined, and special operations in peacetime and in war.

It provides effective organization, control, technical guidance, training, support, products, and tasking for ongoing intelligence analysis and dissemination activities. Serves the Department of Defense and other customers as directed, providing the core capability assisting the National Security Agency mission, through around-the-clock operations in support of national and tactical objectives. Performs information operations through multiple sources for national, theater, and tactical customers.

United States Department of Defense United States federal executive department

The Department of Defense is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government concerned directly with national security and the United States Armed Forces. The department is the largest employer in the world, with nearly 1.3 million active duty servicemen and women as of 2016. Adding to its employees are over 826,000 National Guardsmen and Reservists from the four services, and over 732,000 civilians bringing the total to over 2.8 million employees. Headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., the DoD's stated mission is to provide "the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security".

National Security Agency U.S. signals intelligence organization

The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence. The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and processing of information and data for foreign and domestic intelligence and counterintelligence purposes, specializing in a discipline known as signals intelligence (SIGINT). The NSA is also tasked with the protection of U.S. communications networks and information systems. The NSA relies on a variety of measures to accomplish its mission, the majority of which are clandestine.

History

World War II

The squadron was established in mid-1943 as a tactical reconnaissance and photographic mapping squadron. Initial squadron training was under the Third Air Force, before it was deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and became part of Fifteenth Air Force in southern Italy in August 1945.

Aerial reconnaissance military exploration and observation by means of aircraft or other airborne platforms

Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. This role can fulfil a variety of requirements, including the collection of imagery intelligence, observation of enemy maneuvers and artillery spotting.

Third Air Force Numbered air force of the United States Air Force responsible for the European region

The Third Air Force is a 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.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa operations and support activities in the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command's areas of responsibility.

The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations (NATOUSA), was the American term for the theater of operations covering North Africa and Italy during World War II. American operations in the theater began with the Allied Expeditionary Force, which landed on the beaches of northwest Africa on November 8, 1942, in Operation Torch. They ended in the Italian Alps some 31 months later with the German surrender in May 1945.

Equipped primarily with unarmed Lockheed F-5 Lightnings, the squadron flew hazardous long-range intelligence and photo-mapping missions over enemy-held Italy and Occupied Europe, to get pictures required for the aerial war against the Axis powers. Initially it flew most missions over enemy-occupied Italy, Corsica and Sardinia, later flying missions over the Balkans. After the German surrender in May 1945, the squadron's personnel were demobilized in Italy during the summer of 1945, and the squadron was inactivated as a paper unit in the United States during October.

Corsica Island in the Mediterranean, also a region and a department of France

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is located southeast of the French mainland and west of the Italian Peninsula, with the nearest land mass being the Italian island of Sardinia to the immediate south. A single chain of mountains makes up two-thirds of the island.

Sardinia Island in the Mediterranean and region of Italy

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula and to the immediate south of the French island of Corsica.

United States Air Forces in Europe

Squadron RF-84F 32d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron - Republic RF-84F-25-RE Thunderflash - 52-7292.jpg
Squadron RF-84F

In 1952 the squadron was reactivated as a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) tactical reconnaissance unit to be based in France as a result of the United States Cold War military buildup in Europe. It was activated by the transfer of the equipment and personnel of the Alabama Air National Guard 157th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, which had been federalized and brought to active duty during the Korean War. It took over the Lockheed RF-80A Shooting Star aircraft of the ANG unit, and trained for daylight reconnaissance missions.

Cold War State of geopolitical tension after World War II between powers in the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union with its satellite states, and the United States with its allies after World War II. A common historiography of the conflict begins with 1946, the year U.S. diplomat George F. Kennan's "Long Telegram" from Moscow cemented a U.S. foreign policy of containment of Soviet expansionism threatening strategically vital regions, and ending between the Revolutions of 1989 and the 1991 collapse of the USSR, which ended communism in Eastern Europe. The term "cold" is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides, but they each supported major regional conflicts known as proxy wars.

Alabama Air National Guard

The Alabama Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Alabama, United States of America. It is, along with the Alabama Army National Guard, an element of the Alabama National Guard.

Korean War 1950–1953 war between North Korea and South Korea

The Korean War was a war between North Korea and South Korea. The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea following a series of clashes along the border.

The squadron, however was stationed at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base in West Germany due to the uncompleted facilities at Toul-Rosières Air Base. Weather conditions in Germany severely restricted the training operations of the assigned RF-80As. The squadron frequently deployed to Nouasseur Air Base, Morocco during the winter of 1952-53 where the photo conditions were excellent.

Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base airport in Germany

Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base is a German Air Force airfield near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany.

Nouasseur Air Base

Nouasseur Air Base near Casablanca in Morocco, was a United States Air Force base. It was designed for B-36 and B-47 bombers, and also housed repair units for a period. Today, Nouasseur AB is known as Mohammed V International Airport. It hosts helicopters of the Royal Moroccan Navy.

The squadron moved to Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany in May 1953 where all of the elements of the parent 10th TRW were assembled at one base. It re-equipped with the Republic RF-84F Thunderflash in 1955, as the RF-80s were deemed not mission-capable against the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15.

In January 1958, the squadron was moved to Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base, France while the runway at Spangdahlem was under repair and renovation. In March 1958, the squadron was reassigned to the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, which was moving to Phalsbourg from Sembach Air Base due to poor runway conditions. During May, the Thunderflashes were replaced by McDonnell RF-101C Voodoos, which was the fastest tactical reconnaissance aircraft ever flown by the USAF.

Squadron RF-101 VooDoo 32d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron - McDonnell RF-101C-65-MC Voodoo - 56-070.jpg
Squadron RF-101 VooDoo

Routine training operations were flown from Laon for over seven years. In 1965 the squadron was again reassigned; to the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, which was being formed at Toul-Rosières Air Base. On 7 March 1966, French President Charles De Gaulle announced that France would withdraw from NATO's military structure but not leave the political organization. He gave NATO forces one year (until 1 April 1967) to depart France.

As a result, the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was relocated to Ramstein Air Base, West Germany. As part of the move from Toul, the 32d moved to England, where it rejoined the 10th Wing, now stationed at RAF Alconbury. It sent its RF-101s back to the United States, and at Alconbury received new McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II aircraft.

The 32d flew the RF-4C at Alconbury for the next ten years, before being inactivated in 1976. The advent of reconnaissance satellites made tactical reconnaissance less and less necessary by the mid-1970s. This, along with the need for budget reductions after the end of the Vietnam War caused a reduction in the numbers of frontline tactical reconnaissance aircraft. On 1 January 1976, the squadron was the first of two squadrons of the 10th Wing to be inactivated that year.

Intelligence operations

In 1991, Electronic Security Command reorganized its intelligence units at Ft George G. Meade, Maryland, organizing the 6941st Electronic Security Squadron there as a Major Command Controlled (MAJCON) unit. In the early 1990s, the Air Force eliminated this type of unit (commonly called a "four-digit" unit) by replacing them or consolidating them with Air Force Controlled (AFCON) units. In 1993, the two units were consolidated as the 32d Intelligence Squadron. [1]

Lineage

32d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
Activated on 1 July 1943
Redesignated 32d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 August 1943
Inactivated on 28 October 1945
Reactivated on 10 July 1952
Inactivated 1 January 1976
32d Intelligence Squadron

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

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References

Notes
  1. ↑ Aircraft is Republic RF-84F-25-RE Thunderflash - serial 52-7292.
  2. ↑ Aircraft is McDonnell RF-101C-65-MC Voodoo serial 56-70
  3. ↑ This unit is not related to the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron, which was originally organized as the 423d Night Fighter Squadron.
  4. ↑ The 694th Electronic Security Wing replaced the 6940th Electronic Security wing the same day the squadron was activated.
Citations
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Robertson, Patsy (October 22, 2017). "Factsheet 32 Intelligence Squadron (AFISRA)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 158-159

Bibliography

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .

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