544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group

The 544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command's Sixteenth Air Force and stationed at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado. It was reactivated under the 70th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing on 26 September 2022. A multi-domain intelligence organization, the 544th is a team of approximately 400 Air Force members executing overhead technical signals and infrared intelligence with tradecraft development to achieve mission outcome success in all circumstances. The group traces its lineage to the 544th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron, activated on 16 November 1950 at Bolling Air Force Base, with initial personnel drawn from the 4203rd Photographic Technical Squadron. It moved to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska in April 1952, though a small detachment continued at Bolling. Redesignated the 544th Reconnaissance Technical Group on 11 July 1958, it provided photo interpretation during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 for the National Command Authority. On 1 January 1963 it became the 544th Aerospace Reconnaissance Technical Wing, assigned directly to Strategic Air Command. During the Vietnam era, the Boeing RC-135C reconnaissance aircraft and its ASD-1 reconnaissance system generated much of the wing's work, an activity known as 'Finder'. In 1979 the unit was designated a Major Command Special Activity and on 15 October 1979 was redesignated the 544th Strategic Intelligence Wing. It became the 544th Intelligence Wing on 1 September 1991, still at Offutt, and was inactivated on 1 June 1992. On 7 September 1993, Colonel Eric Larson became commander of the newly reactivated 544th Intelligence Group at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, part of Air Force Intelligence Command. Colonel Maurizio Calabrese assumed command on 27 June 2018. In 2000 the 544th received one of its many Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards. The group was inactivated on 24 July 2020 when it was replaced by Space Delta 7 of the United States Space Force. On 26 September 2022, the group was reactivated as part of Air Combat Command with headquarters at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado, under the command of Colonel Ronald Hopkins. Airmen at the 544th execute overhead technical signals intelligence and overhead persistent infrared operations, partnering with base agencies to produce integrated intelligence critical to the security of the United States. The group is composed of three squadrons — the 566th Intelligence Squadron, 18th Intelligence Squadron, and 26th Intelligence Squadron — all located at Buckley Space Force Base, as well as one detachment in Australia.

The 544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group was initially activated as the 544th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron on 16 November 1950 at Bolling Air Force Base. Initial personnel came from the 4203rd Photographic Technical Squadron. The 544th moved to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska in April 1952, although a small unit (Detachment 1) continued operation at Bolling. On 11 July 1958, the unit was redesignated the 544th Reconnaissance Technical Group. The 544th provided photo interpretation during the Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962) for the National Command Authority. The next designation was as the 544th Aerospace Reconnaissance Technical Wing when it was redesignated on 1 January 1963. It was assigned directly to Strategic Air Command. In Vietnam, the Boeing RC-135C reconnaissance aircraft, equipped with the ASD-1 reconnaissance system, a number of programmable SIGINT receivers, created much of the 544th Wing's work, an activity known as 'Finder'. Personnel from the 544th Air Reconnaissance Technical Wing at Offutt AFB, then the highest-level strategic planning office in the U.S. Air Force, have corroborated reports that the Israel Defense Forces knew they were attacking an American ship during the 1967 USS Liberty incident. Captain Steve Forslund, an intelligence analyst, recalled: "The ground control station stated that the target was American and for the aircraft to confirm it. The aircraft did confirm the identity of the target as American, by the American flag. The ground control station ordered the aircraft to attack and sink the target and ensure they left no survivors. [I remembered] the obvious frustration of the controller over the inability of the pilots to sink the target quickly and completely. He kept insisting the mission had to sink the target, and was frustrated with the pilots' responses that it didn't sink." He wasn't the only member of his unit to have read the transcripts: "Everybody saw these." His recollections are supported by 2 other USAF intelligence specialists who were working in separate locations. One is James Ronald Gotcher, who was then serving with the Air Force Security Service's 6924th Security Squadron (an adjunct of the National Security Agency at Son Tra in Vietnam): "It was clear that the Israeli aircraft were being vectored directly at USS Liberty. Later, around the time Liberty got off a distress call, the controllers seemed to panic and urged the aircraft to 'complete the job' and get out of there." Captain Richard Block, an Air Force intelligence officer in Crete who commanded more than 100 analysts and cryptologists monitoring Middle Eastern communications as part of the 6931st Security Group, has also confirmed that radio transcripts proved the Israelis knew they were striking a U.S. ship: "[The transcripts] were teletypes, way beyond Top Secret. Some of the pilots did not want to attack. The pilots said, 'This is an American ship. Do you still want us to attack?' And ground control came back and said, 'Yes, follow orders.'" Gotcher and Forslund agreed with Block that a transcript published by The Jerusalem Post was not the same one they saw. Gotcher noted, "There is simply no way that [the Post's transcript is] the same as what I saw. More to the point, for anyone familiar with air-to-ground [communications] procedures, that simply isn't the way pilots and controllers communicate." Block observed that, "the fact that the Israeli pilots clearly identified the ship as American and asked for further instructions from ground control appears to be a missing part of that Jerusalem Post article." In 1979 the 544th was designated as a Major Command Special Activity and on 15 October 1979, was redesignated the 544th Strategic Intelligence Wing. The 544th was redesignated the 544th Intelligence Wing on 1 September 1991, still at Offutt, and then inactivated on 1 June 1992. On 7 September 1993, Colonel Eric Larson became the commander of the newly reactivated 544th Intelligence Group at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, part of Air Force Intelligence Command. Colonel Maurizio Calabrese assumed command of the 544th on 27 June 2018. In 2000, the 544th received one of its many Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. The award did not extend to the detachments' host commands such as the Naval Security Group Activities Sabana Seca and Sugar Grove. Their support in terms of infrastructure, technical equipment and facilities, allowed the detachments to accomplish their mission. The group also provided support to Detachment 45 of the Air Force Technical Applications Center. The group was inactivated on 24 July 2020 when it was replaced by Space Delta 7 of the United States Space Force. On 26 September 2022, the group was reactivated as a part of Air Combat Command with the headquarters at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado under the command of Colonel Ronald Hopkins. Airmen at the 544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group execute overhead technical signals intelligence and overhead persistent infrared operations. They partner with base agencies to produce integrated intelligence that is critical to the security of the United states. The group is composed of three squadrons (566th Intelligence Squadron, 18th Intelligence Squadron, 26th Intelligence Squadron), all located at Buckley Space Force Base, as well as one detachment in Australia.

• 2022

  Reactivated on 26 September as part of Air Combat Command at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado under Colonel Ronald Hopkins.

• 2020

  Inactivated on 24 July, replaced by Space Delta 7 of the United States Space Force.

• 2018

  Colonel Maurizio Calabrese assumed command on 27 June.

• 2000

  Received one of its many Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards.

• 1993

  Reactivated as the 544th Intelligence Group at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado on 7 September under Colonel Eric Larson.

• 1992

  Inactivated on 1 June.

• 1991

  Redesignated the 544th Intelligence Wing on 1 September, still at Offutt.

• 1979

  Designated a Major Command Special Activity and redesignated the 544th Strategic Intelligence Wing on 15 October.

• 1963

  Redesignated the 544th Aerospace Reconnaissance Technical Wing on 1 January, assigned directly to Strategic Air Command.

• 1962

  Provided photo interpretation during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October for the National Command Authority.

• 1958

  Redesignated the 544th Reconnaissance Technical Group on 11 July.

• 1952

  Moved to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska in April, with Detachment 1 remaining at Bolling.

• 1950

  Activated as the 544th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron on 16 November at Bolling Air Force Base.

A multi-domain Air Force intelligence organization providing overhead technical signals and infrared intelligence to support national security missions.

• Overhead technical signals intelligence

• Overhead persistent infrared operations

• Integrated intelligence production

• Tradecraft development

1. 1544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2544th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group - Wikidatawikidata.org