AIA in the 1940s
1948: 20 Oct-The United States
Air Force Security Service
(USAFSS) established at
Arlington Hall Va
On 24 May 1948, Headquarters,
United States Air Force (HQ
USAF) informally activated the
Air Force Security Group (AFSG)
in the Office of the
Intelligence Requirements
Division, Directorate of
Intelligence, Headquarters USAF,
in the Pentagon and designated
Major Idris J. Jones, an Air
Force officer, to head the
Group. The AFSG was formally
established in the Directorate
of Intelligence, HQ USAF, on 23
June 1948, with a cadre of
eleven officers and some
clerical enlisted personnel on
loan from the Army Security
Agency. On 20 October 1948, the
United States Air Force Security
Service (USAFSS), the forerunner
of the Air Intelligence Agency,
was established at Arlington
Hall Station, Va., as a major
air command to perform
cryptologic and communications
security missions for the Air
Force. Colonel Roy H. Lynn was
assigned as the first USAFSS
Commander effective 20 October
1948.
1949 -The United States Air
Force Security Service received
its first subordinate units on 1
February 1949, when the 1st
Radio Squadron, Mobile in Japan,
the 2d Radio Squadron, Mobile in
Germany, the 8th Radio Squadron,
Mobile at Vint Hill Farms, Va.,
and the 136th Radio Security
Detachment in upper New York
state, along with assigned
personnel, were transferred to
the command from the Army
Security Agency. In March 1949,
on authority of a signed
agreement with the U.S. Army, HQ
USAF assigned Capt David D.
Morris, an Air Force officer, to
the Army Special Security Office
at HQ United States Air Forces
in Europe (USAFE). About two and
one-half months later, in June
1949, HQ USAFSS assigned Capt
Campbell Y. Jackson to HQ USAFE
as a Security Service Liaison
Officer. Those assignments
represented the first use of Air
Force personnel in the
previously all-Army Special
Security Office system. The
transfer of HQ USAFSS from
Arlington Hall Station, Va., to
Brooks Air Force Base, Texas,
was effective with transfer of
the morning reports on 18 April
1949. On 29 May 1949, Secretary
of Defense Louis Johnson issued
a Memo to the Joint Chiefs of
Staff announcing the
establishment of a unified
cryptologic organization -- the
Armed Forces Security Agency --
(which later became the National
Security Agency (NSA) in October
1952) for the conduct of
Intelligence and communications
security COMSEC) activities
within the National Military
Establishment. The USAFSS
Photography Laboratory had its
beginning in July 1949 with the
assignment of a master sergeant
and a corporal. On 7 October
1949, a photo officer was
assigned. By 30 June 1950,
Colonel Roy H. Lynn was USAFSS'
first commander. USAFSS
direction finding operators
worked with equipment such as
this during the early years.
This DF position was located at
Vint Hill Farms Station, in
1949.
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AIA
in the 1950s
1950 - The USAFSS concept and
plan for production of tactical
area intelligence was approved
by the Office of the Secretary
of Defense and the Vice Chief of
Staff, USAF, in April 1950.
Sergeant Christena Ogle, the
first Women's Air Force (WAF) to
join USAFSS, was assigned to the
Command on 2 April 1950 for duty
in the Directorate of Security.
Major Corinne E. Edwards became
the Command's first WAF officer
on 1 May 1950 and was assigned
as the Assistant Adjutant
General. In May 1950, USAFSS
attempted to get the Director of
Intelligence at HQ USAF to
support the publication of an
Air Force regulation which would
specify that USAFSS was
responsible for the production
of Intelligence of interest to
the Air Force and that the
USAFSS units would be attached
to the air commanders to meet
tactical intelligence
requirements. (Such a regulation
was never published.) In June
1950, the Airways and Air
Communications Service (later
the Air Force Communications
Command) transferred to USAFSS
the responsibility for service
testing USAF cryptological
equipment, systems, and devices.
Airways and Air Communications
Service also transferred the
personnel and spaces authorized
to perform this function. The
USAFSS Flight Section was
organized on 1 September 1950
with the assignment of three
administrative aircraft -- two
C-47s and one B-25 -- and nine
personnel. In November 1950,
USAFSS established a detachment
at Pyongyang, Korea (Detachment
C, 1st Radio Squadron, Mobile),
to provide support to USAF
organizations engaged in the
Korean War.
Personnel of the Headquarters
USAFSS Operations Production
Division, Brooks AFB, prepare a
map depicting the Eurasian
landmass, 1950. 1951 - USAFSS
gained its first units above
squadron level with the
activation of the 6910th
Security Group at Brooks Air
Force Base, Texas, on 23 May
1951 and the 6920th Security
Group at Johnson AB, Japan, on 1
September 1951. The 6910th
Security Group was moved to
Germany in July 1951 with the
Group Headquarters going to
Wiesbaden and Group Operations
going to Darmstadt. Brigadier
General (later Lieutenant
General) Roy H. Lynn, who served
as the first USAFSS Commander,
returned as the organization's
third commander effective 22
February 1951. There were two
incidents in 1951 in which
support provided by USAFSS units
in Korea resulted in major U.S.
air victories. The most
significant of the two occurred
on 29 November 1951 when a small
USAFSS detachment provided 5th
Air Force with tactical support
concerning the North Korean Air
Force which contributed directly
to the largest single U.S. air
victory of the war up to that
point. In a single air-to-air
engagement, F-86s from the USAF
fighter wing at Inchon shot down
eleven North Korean aircraft and
damaged four more. The U.S.
sustained only one slightly
damaged F-86. These incidents
were aptly termed "turkey
shoots" by U.S. pilots.
USAFSS senior commanders pose
with world renowed cyrptologist
William Friedman (in suit, third
from left) at Landsberg Air
Base, Germany, 23 November 1951.
(Photo courtesy of Brig. Gen.
Hetherington, Ret.) USAFSS
provided Intelligence support at
the Kaesong truce meetings which
began on 10 July 1951 and
dragged on for more than two
years until a truce was signed
on 27 July 1953. During those
two years, intelligence was
provided to Vice Admiral C.
Turner Joy, who headed the U. S.
delegation to the conference.
The first Annual USAFSS
Commanders' Conference was held
at USAFSS headquarters from
12-16 November 1951. 1952 - On
24 October 1952, National
Security Council Directive No. 9
was revised. It redesignated the
Armed Forces Security Agency
(AFSA) as the National Security
Agency (NSA), delegated control
of resources of the Department
of Defense (DoD) to the Director
of NSA (DIRNSA), designated DoD
as the executive agent of the
Government for SIGINT
information, and authorized
DIRNSA to delegate control for
close support purposes.
Intelligence operators of the
37th Radio Squadron Mobile, RAF
Station, Kirknewton, Scotland In
March 1952, HQ USAF consolidated
the Security Service Liaison
Office and the major command (MAJCOM)
Special Security Office
activities into an Air Force
Special Security Office system.
The responsibility for the
development and operation of the
Air Force Special Security
Office System was delegated to
USAFSS in April 1952. At the
time, the consolidated system
consisted of nineteen authorized
offices worldwide. The USAFSS
emblem was approved in August
1952 after a command-wide
contest to select a winning
entry. It was designed by Airman
Second Class William Rogers. The
motto, Freedom Through
Vigilance, was adopted in
January 1964. The United States
Air Force Security Service flew
its first Airborne
Reconnaissance Program test
mission in the Pacific on 18
April 1952 using a converted
B-29 aircraft. The aircraft was
later sent to Europe for
additional testing before
commencing regular operational
missions in the Pacific in March
1954. The United States Air
Force Security Service
reorganized to operate with the
procedural functions,
authorities, and
responsibilities of a major Air
Force command, which it had been
since its activation on 20
October 1948, but within policy
constraints required by
tri-service relationships.
1953 - Brigadier General (later
Major General) Harold H. Bassett
replaced Major General Roy H.
Lynn as Commander effective 14
February 1953. On 1 July 1953,
the 6901st Special
Communications Center was
activated at Brooks Air Force
Base, Texas, to perform the
operational functions previously
handled by the Analysis and
Disseminations Divisions, Deputy
Chief of Staff/ Operations, HQ
USAFSS. Simultaneous with
establishment of the 6901st
Special Communications Center on
1 July 1953, the Air Force
Communications Security Center
was established to take over the
communications security
operational functions of DCS/Operations.
Two USAFSS airmen -- Staff
Sergeant Donald G. Hill and Air
Second Class Earl W. Radlein,
Jr. -- were presumed killed on
29 July 1953 when the RB-50G-2
aircraft of the 343d Strategic
Reconnaissance Squadron on which
they were serving was shot down
off the Soviet coast near
Vladivostok. This marked the
first loss of USAFSS airborne
operators as a result of hostile
action. Headquarters USAFSS
closed out operations at Brooks
Air Force Base, Texas, effective
31 July 1953 and began
operations from its new
headquarters building at Kelly
Air Force Base, Texas. A C-47
"Bluesky" Aircraft.
Manned by USAFSS crews the
platform began experimental
collection operations over Korea
in early 1953.
The move into the newly
constructed Headquarters
building at Kelly Air Force Base
was accomplished during the
first week in August 1953. On 8
August 1953, the 6901st Special
Communications Center was moved
from Brooks Air Force Base,
Texas, to "Security
Hill" at Kelly Air Force
Base, Texas, and renamed the Air
Force Special Communications
Center. Initially, the mission
of the Air Force Special
Communications Center was: (1)
producing and disseminating
long-term intelligence data; (2)
operating the USAFSS School for
training intelligence
specialists; (3) providing
technical guidance and
operational assistance to USAFSS
field units; (4) assisting the
USAFSS Deputy Chief of
Staff/Operations to develop and
test operational procedures and
techniques for implementing the
USAFSS program for providin
intelligence support for the Air
Force; and (5) directing and
monitoring operation of the
Special Security Office system.
The 6900th Security Wing was
activated at Landsberg Air Base,
Germany, on 1 August 1953 as an
intermediate Headquarters
(numbered Air Force equivalent)
to plan, coordinate, and direct
the activities of all USAFSS
units in Europe. The 6920th
Security Group at Johnson Air
Base, Japan, provided the same
support to USAFSS units in the
Pacific. The USAFSS School was
activated at Kelly Air Force
Base, Texas, on 1 August 1953
and placed under the operational
control of the Air Force Special
Communications Center. One of
the major functions of the
school was to train personnel in
intelligence duties.
1954 - In March 1954, USAFSS
initiated a new concept in
reconnaissance collection by
implementing its Airborne
Reconnaissance Program effort.
One RB-29 began flying missions
in the Far East in April 1954.
This was the only aircraft,
Airmen assigned to the 6920th
Security Group, Johnson, Air
Base, Japan repair radios--1953.
which USAFSS already had
jurisdiction over, engaged in
the Airborne Reconnaissance
Program effort at that time;
however, USAFSS had personnel
serving as operators aboard 343d
Strategic Reconnaissance
Squadron RB-50G ECM aircraft. In
March 1954, the USAFSS Commander
submitted tentative plans for
expansion of processing
activities at the squadron level
and for direct reporting to the
using commands. In June 1954,
the point of analysis and
reporting concept was
implemented on a test basis at
the 6901st Special
Communications Center in Europe
(Germany) and the 6902d Special
Communications Center in the
Pacific (Japan). In late August
1954, the point of intercept
analysis and reporting concept
was approved. The objective was
to facilitate a direct and
timely response to the
requirements of military
commands and other organizations
receiving intelligence support.
By the end of 1954, the
technical training function and
oversight of the Special
Security Office system had been
transferred from the Air Force
Special Communications Center to
HQ USAFSS.
1955 - USAFSS deployed the
6926th Radio Squadron, Mobile,
to Japan to participate in
Project GRAYBACK.
1956 - The USAFSS developed a
new concept of mobile operations
to satisfy increased tasking for
tactical support during
contingencies. The first
deployment came in January 1957
in response to the unstable
situation in the Middle-East in
late 1956 and early 1957. The
Air Force Communications
Security Center was deactivated
on 1 July 1956 and its personnel
and communications security
monitoring, reporting and
management mission became a part
of the Air Force Special
Communications Center. This
change reflected an effort to
decrease management overhead.
1957 - RB-50 aircraft were
assigned to the Airborne
Reconnaissance Program. There
were five RB-50s in Europe and
five in the Pacific. Major
General (later Lieutenant
General) Gordon A. Blake
replaced Major General H. H.
Bassett as Commander effective 4
January 1957. The USAFSS School
was moved from Kelly Air Force
Base, Texas, to March Air Force
Base, California, on 1 July
1957.
1958 - A major milestone in the
history of USAFSS occurred on 1
July 1958 when the command
assumed control of several bases
throughout the world where its
units had previously been
tenants. Included were: Misawa
Air Base, Japan; San Vito Air
Station (AS), Italy; Iraklion
AS, Crete; Royal Air Force (RAF)
Station Chicksands, United
Kingdom; Karamursel AS, Turkey,
Wakkanai AS, Japan; and Shu Lin
Kou AS, Taiwan. Later that year,
Goodfellow Air Force Base,
Texas, was added to the list.
Through coordination with
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) in
early 1958, USAFSS increased its
airborne capability in Korea by
adding three more C-47s to the
Blue Sky effort, for a total of
four platforms. Each C-47 staged
from Osan AB, Korea. They flew
an average of 60 hours each
month. During 1960, the project
name was changed from Blue Sky
to Rose Bowl. This
"primitive," but
effective, Airborne
Reconnaissance Program operation
continued into 1962 when the
C-130s staging from Yokota AB,
Japan, were able to provide the
necessary support of Korea and
the C-47s were phased out.
C-130s were sent to Europe to
replace the RB-50s in the
Airborne Reconnaissance Program
effort. The first two arrived in
Germany during July 1958. The
USAFSS School was moved from
March Air Force Base,
California, to Goodfellow Air
Force Base, Texas, on 15 October
1958. The 6920th Security Wing
(later redesignated HQ Pacific
Air Forces Security Region) was
moved from Shiroi Air Base,
Japan, to Wheeler Air Force
Base, Hawaii, on 1 November
1958. On 26 August 1958, USAFSS
sent a unit to Taiwan to augment
the 6987th Radio Squadron,
Mobile located at Shu Lin Kou
Air Station, Taiwan, due to the
increased tension in the Taiwan
Straits created by the Chinese
shelling of Quemoy. Soviet
fighters shot down a C-130
Airborne Reconnaissance Program
aircraft on 2 September 1958
when it strayed off-course over
Soviet Armenia. All crew members
were assumed killed, including
11 USAFSS personnel. A B-50
Superfortress, also used by
USAFSS as a reconnaissance
platform.
1959 - The replacement of RB-50s
in Europe was completed in July
1959 with arrival of the eighth
C-130. The European RB-50s were
moved to the Pacific, giving
that area nine RB-50 Airborne
Reconnaissance Program aircraft.
The transfer of bases to USAFSS
under the "Integrated
Command Concept" was
completed on 1 July 1959 with
the transfer of Wakkanai Air
Station, Japan, and Shu Lin Kou
Air Station, Taiwan.
The United States Air Force
Security Service first became
involved in the war in Southeast
Asia in August 1959 when
national intelligence
authorities tasked the command
to make maximum effort to
provide intelligence relating to
North Vietnamese or Laotian
rebel movements. Existing USAFSS
units were not in the most
favorable geographical locations
to obtain such information;
therefore, in the spring of
1960, USAFSS sent a small team
to Bangkok, Thailand.
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AIA
in the 1960s
Major General Millard Lewis
assumed command of USAFSS
effective 21 September 1959,
replacing Major General Gordon
A. Blake who was reassigned to
HQ Pacific Air Forces as Chief
of Staff effective 5 August
1959. 1960. The 6917th Radio
Squadron, Mobile, became the
first USAFSS unit in Italy when
it was activated at San Vito on
1 November 1960.
1961 - As the tempo of the
Vietnam War increased, USAFSS
became involved in a program
which eventually became known as
the Airborne Radio Direction
Finding program. That year,
General Curtis E. LeMay, Air
Force Chief of Staff, ordered
several experimental aircraft,
equipped with radio homing
equipment, into Southeast Asia.
1962 - In December 1961, PACAF
asked USAFSS to send an
Emergency Reaction Unit to Da
Nang Air Base, South Vietnam, to
support a Tactical Air Control
System that was being set up
there. USAFSS deployed the unit
in early 1962. Intelligence
processed by the USAFSS Airborne
Reconnaissance Program provided
the first significant
intelligence data concerning the
extent of Soviet involvement in
Cuba. The United States Air
Force Security Service deployed
an Emergency Reaction Unit (ERU)
to Key West, Florida, to provide
tactical support. Also, the
command increased its Cuban
Airborne Reconnaissance Program
coverage from one to three
aircraft. Strategic Air Command
operated RC-135 aircraft began
flying reconnaissance missions
in the Arctic. Major General
(later Lieutenant General)
Richard P. Klocko assumed
command of USAFSS effective 1
September 1962, replacing Major
General Millard Lewis who
retired from active duty.
1963 - USAFSS activated three
Emergency Reaction Units, the
6948th Security Squadron,
Mobile, at Goodfellow Air Force
Base, Texas; the 6926th Security
Squadron, Mobile, at Clark AB,
the Philippines; and the 6911th
Security Squadron, Mobile, at
Darmstadt, Germany. The
following USAFSS communications
functions were transferred to
AFCS: (1) operation and
maintenance of the Critical
Communications relay stations;
(2) operation and maintenance of
terminal station technical
control; and (3) terminal
station maintenance. In response
to the Air Force problem of how
to reduce or eliminate
intermediate echelons and
separate units, USAFSS initiated
the "Operational Wing
Concept." Under this
concept, the mission unit was
discontinued and a support
squadron was organized. The
functions of the mission unit
were absorbed into the wing
structure. The concept was
implemented in Europe late in
1963 and in the Pacific in 1964.
1964 - The motto "Freedom
Through Vigilance" was
adopted in January 1964.
The Operational Wing Concept was
implemented in the Pacific. In
early 1964, the USAFSS
commander, Major General Richard
P. Klocko, asked the Air Staff
and the Strategic Air Command to
support the addition of six
RC-135s to the airborne effort.
1965 - In June 1965, after many
months of intense negotiations,
the Office of the Secretary of
Defense approved the addition of
six RC-135s to the airborne
effort. But even then, a debate
arose over where to base the
RC-135s, and it took 18 more
months of negotiations before a
base of operations was finally
selected. With the air war in
Vietnam heating up, Japan,
Thailand, and the Philippines,
as well as Da Nang, South
Vietnam, and Kadena, Okinawa,
were all considered. On 26 March
1965, USAF headquarters issued
instructions to USAFSS to
transfer all Air Force Special
Security Officer functions to
the using commands effective 1
July 1965. This resulted in the
transfer of 811 USAFSS personnel
at some 50 locations around the
world to the consumer commands.
The Gold Flow problem, an Air
Force-wide program to reduce
overseas manning, resulted in
the reduction of 302 USAFSS
personnel overseas. The loss of
an RB-57 over the Black Sea on
15 December 1965 resulted in a
Government of Turkey ban on
Airborne Reconnaissance Program
flights from their country. The
RB-57 was one of two aircraft in
the Little Cloud project which
were manned and maintained by
the Pakistan Air Force at
Peshawar. United States Air
Force Security Service Airborne
Reconnaissance Program missions
in Southeast Asia increased from
one to two daily, using four
RC-130s instead of two. The
first AN/FLR-9 systems became
operational -- at Misawa Air
Base, Japan, in March 1965 and
Clark Air Base, the Philippines,
in April 1965.
United States Air Force Security
Service Airborne Reconnaissance
Program aircraft (C-130s) began
participating in tactical
operations in Southeast Asia,
supporting both USAF and Navy
strike forces by providing alert
warnings. This was the first
time the command became involved
in a regular program of
providing tactical support to
combat operations. The USAFSS
Airborne Reconnaissance Program
unit in the Pacific area
performed the command's first
airborne transmission security
monitoring mission on a test
basis. On 28 September 1965, the
Air Force Chief of Staff
approved the release of
communication security
violators' names in transmission
security reports. This was a
first in transmissions security
reporting. The approval granted
release of names down to
division level. Major General
Louis E. Coira assumed command
of USAFSS effective 16 October
1965, replacing Major General
Richard P. Klocko who was
reassigned as commander of the
Air Force Communications
Service.
1966 - The USAF Airborne Radio
Direction Finding Program was
nicknamed Phyllis Ann. The first
Phyllis Ann EC- 47 Airborne
Radio Direction Finding Program
aircraft arrived at Tan Son Nhut,
Air Base, Vietnam, in April 1966
for use by the newly activated
6994th Security Squadron. The
first AN/FLR-12 antenna system
became operational. In 1966,
Office of the Secretary of
Defense requested USAF to
provide an objective evaluation
of its electronic warfare system
effectiveness. Later that year,
the Chief of Staff, USAF,
directed the establishment of an
Electronic Warfare evaluation
function in USAFSS. CSAF
assigned this task to USAFSS
because: (1) USAFSS was a
disinterested command -- it
neither built nor operated
electronic warfare systems; (2)
USAFSS had the necessary core
skills; (3) it had access to the
critically needed intelligence
data; and (4) it had a close
working relationship with NSA as
the Air Force component of the
service's cryptologic system.
The task was to assess the
effectiveness of protective
electronic countermeasures
employed by U.S. aircraft during
air strikes against North
Vietnam.
United States Air Force Security
Service Airborne Reconnaissance
Program units began performing
airborne transmissions security
monitoring on a time available,
non-interfering basis. In
consonance with a USAF program
to increase the use of women in
the Air Force, USAFSS assigned
women to its units in Karamursel,
Turkey; Iraklion, Crete;
Chicksands, United Kingdom;
Misawa, Japan; and Shu Lin Kou,
Taiwan; as well as at Goodfellow
Air Force Base, Texas, and Kelly
Air Force Base, Texas. This was
the first time enlisted women
were assigned to USAFSS
operational sites overseas. On
16 January 1967 the Air Force
Special Communications Center
established a 24-hour/7-day per
week function to provide direct
support to any agency needing
information. This data base was
the culmination of several years
of developmental effort by the
Center. It proved increasingly
valuable in permitting rapid
response to complex queries for
technical and intelligence data.
The 6990th Security Squadron was
organized at Kadena Air Base,
Okinawa, to receive the six
RC-135 aircraft assigned to the
Pacific Airborne Reconnaissance
Program effort. The first RC-135
Airborne Reconnaissance Program
mission, named Combat Apple, was
flown on 12 September 1967. The
Iron Horse system was put into
operation at Da Nang AB (6924th
Security Squadron) and Monkey
Mountain, South Vietnam.
In 1967, USAFSS assigned its new
electronic warfare evaluation
mission to the Air Force Special
Communications Center (later AF
Information Warfare Center) at
Kelly Air Force Base, Texas. The
USAFSS assigned the mission to
the Air Force Special
Communications Center because
the Center had a cadre of
experienced analysts. In
addition, the Center's analytic
task was phasing down which made
the necessary office space
available. This new mission was
the first major change in the
command's mission in many years.
The initial evaluations were
disseminated electrically in
Comfy Coat reports. Later, the
effort was expanded to cover
evaluation of Navy and ground
electronic warfare, and Army,
Navy, and Marine personnel were
assigned to the Air Force
Special Communications Center.
As the years passed, general
usage of the term Comfy Coat
came to mean all operational
electronic warfare effectiveness
evaluations being conducted by
the Air Force Special
Communications Center.
1968 - The Government of
Pakistan refused to renew the
lease for the USAFSS site at
Peshawar (6937th Communications
Group). The unit closed by the
end of 1969. The 6990th Security
Squadron at Kadena Air Base,
Okinawa, won the Travis Trophy
for its highly significant
contributions toward the
fulfillment of both national and
tactical cryptologic objectives.
1969 - The Department of Defense
decided to reduce forces in
Turkey and realign the
intelligence posture there. This
realignment caused the
subsequent closure of the USAFSS
sites at Trabzon and Samsun and
the establishment of a USAFSS
squadron (6934th Security
Squadron) at Sinop. Operations
site of the 6924th Security
Squadron, Da Nang, South Vietnam
in 1966.
The 6994th Security Squadron,
Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Vietnam,
received the Travis Trophy for
outstanding contributions to the
cryptologic efforts of the U.S.
Major General Carl W. Stapleton
replaced Major General Louis E.
Coira as commander effective 19
July 1969.
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AIA
in the 1970s
The 6994th Security Squadron,
Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Vietnam,
received the Travis Trophy for
outstanding contributions to the
cryptologic efforts of the U.S.
Major General Carl W. Stapleton
replaced Major General Louis E.
Coira as commander effective 19
July 1969.
1970 - The pilot class of the
USAFSS Senior Officers
Orientation Course was conducted
at Goodfellow Air Force Base,
Texas. The results were
"unfavorable," so the
course subsequently went through
an 18-month period of revision
and refinement. A small ceremony
attended by representatives of
the U.S. and Pakistani Air
Forces closed out the tenure of
the USAFSS "Communications
Unit" (6937th
Communications Group) at
Peshawar, Pakistan, on 7 January
1970, thereby ending 15 years of
valuable intelligence support at
the site. The year 1970 saw the
operational wing concept fall by
the wayside as USAFSS
reorganized its subordinate unit
posture to strengthen the role
of the Regions under this
concept. All USAFSS overseas
wings were redesignated as
groups and their subordinate
units placed under the direct
control of the two Regions. In
1970, the increasing hostile
threat against Airborne
Reconnaissance Program aircraft
focused national level emphasis
on reducing manned
reconnaissance flights in high
threat areas. Consequently, USAF
deployed a series of unmanned
drone vehicles and piloted
airframes. The first of these
systems to be deployed was
Combat Dawn, an unmanned drone
staged and operated from Korea.
1971 - United States Air Force
Security Service acquired its
first medical facility on 1 July
1971 when the USAF Hospital at
Goodfellow Air Force Base,
Texas, was transferred from the
Air Training Command (ATC) to
USAFSS.
Primarily because of the
command's contributions during
the Southeast Asia war, USAFSS
units earned 46 Air Force
Outstanding Unit Awards, two
Presidential Unit Citations, the
Navy Meritorious Unit
Commendation Award, and two
special awards for outstanding
contributions to the National
Cryptologic Effort during
1967-1971. Prior to 1967
(1948-66), command units had
garnered only 33 such awards.
The C-130 fleet from Japan
replaced the aging C-130 fleet
in Europe. The 6908th Security
Squadron was activated at Nakhon
Phanom Airport, Thailand, to
operate Senior Book and Compass
Flag programs, as well as
process and report the intercept
collected from both platforms.
The 6300th Support Squadron
(later redesignated 6300th
Aerospace Support Squadron) was
activated at Ko Kha, Thailand,
on 1 July 1971 to support Cobra
Talon. Hof AS, Germany, was
turned over to the United States
Air Forces in Europe and the
6915th Security Squadron was
inactivated.
1972 - The first class of the
Revised Senior Officers
Orientation Course was conducted
at HQ USAFSS with favorable
results. The USAFSS School at
Goodfellow Air Force Base,
Texas, was accredited by the
Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools. The USAFSS School
was the first one in the Air
Force to receive this
recognition. President Nixon
announced a major reorganization
of U.S. intelligence agencies
and activities on 5 November
1971, causing a flurry of
reorganization planning
activities during the remainder
of Fiscal Year 1972. One of the
principal objectives of the
reorganization was to establish
a more coherent structure for
manning the U.S. cryptologic
effort to include the creation
of a "National Cryptologic
Command." A significant
milestone in achieving this
objective was reached on 14
April 1972 when the Secretary of
Defense approved for
implementation the National
Security Agency/Central Security
Service (NSACSS) organizational
plan. The United States Air
Force Security Service organized
the Air Force Communications
Security Center on Kelly Air
Force Base, Texas, on 1 July
1972 to execute Air Force COMSEC
missions assigned to USAFSS. It
also had overseas units assigned
to assist Air Force theater
activities with various COMSEC
services.
In Japan, DOD Program Budget
Decisions resulted in a complete
realignment of the cryptologic
structure, forcing the closure
of Wakkanai AS (6986th Security
Group) and inactivation of the
6918th Security Squadron at
Hakata AS and the 6988th
Security Squadron, the command's
airborne unit at Yokota AB.
Concurrently, projects
associated with the 6988th
Security Squadron, such as Bench
Royal and Rivet Gym manning for
College Eye, were discontinued,
and the remaining Combat Dawn
mission was transferred to the
6903d Security Squadron at Osan
Air Base, Korea. Host base
activities at Misawa Air Base,
Japan (6921st Security Wing)
were transferred from Pacific
Air Forces (PACAF) to USAFSS on
1 July 1972. The 6910th Security
Group was moved from Darmstadt,
Germany, to Augsburg, Germany.
As a part of the reorganization
of U.S. Intelligence Agencies
and Activities, both HQ European
Security Region and HQ Pacific
Security Region were
deactivated, on 30 June and 31
December 1972, respectively,
eliminating the intermediate
headquarters between USAFSS and
its field units in Europe and
the Pacific. The TEABALL/WCC
concept was implemented. This
concept provided for the
relaying of intelligence data to
USAF weapons controllers located
in the 6908th Security Squadron
operations area at Nakhon Phanom
Airport, Thailand. The weapons
controllers used the data to
enhance positive control of USAF
aircrews over North Vietnam for
both offensive and defense
purposes.
1973 - On 24 February 1973,
Major General (later Lieutenant
General) Walter T. Galligan
replaced Major General Stapleton
as commander of USAFSS. Shortly
thereafter, General Galligan
directed a comprehensive,
command-wide manpower and
organization review of the
USAFSS organizational structure
which, on 1 July 1974, resulted
in a major reorganization of the
command. Program Budget Decision
138C, dated 22 December 1972,
cut four RC-130 Airborne
Reconnaissance Program aircraft
from the European Airborne
Reconnaissance Program fleet,
effective in early 1973. The
TEMPEST (compromising
emanations) function was
transferred from the Air Force
Cryptologic Depot to the AF
Special Communications Center,
effective 20 April 1973. The
command's European Airborne
Reconnaissance Program unit (the
6916th Security Squadron) moved
from Rhein Main Air Base,
Germany, to Athens, Greece, on
30 June 1973.
Beginning on 2 October 1973, HQ
USAFSS, its European units, and
the AF Special Communications
Center became actively engaged
in providing intelligence and
electronic warfare support to
U.S. forces/agencies observing
the Arab/ Israeli War.
1974 - United States Air Force
Security Service implemented the
Main Operating Base/Forward
Operating Base concept on 1
January 1974. Under this
USAFSS/SAC concept, 12 Rivet
Joint ASRP RC-135 aircraft and
crews were based at the Main
Operating Base (Offutt Air Force
Base, Nebraska) where they
received the bulk of their
support, but flew many of their
missions from the Forward
Operating Base (Eielson Air
Force Base, Alaska, and RAF
Mildenhall, United Kingdom)
where they received only mission
essential support.
A major reorganization of USAFSS
resulted in the restructuring of
most USAFSS units. Significant
actions included: (1) a major
reorganization of six USAFSS
host units overseas; (2) a
restructuring of USAFSS units
engaged in airborne operations,
including activation of the
6944th Security Wing at Offutt
Air Force Base, Nebraska; (3)
activation of the 6955th
Security Group at Kelly Air
Force Base, Texas, and the
resubordination of five USAFSS
squadrons (including the
emergency reactions units) under
the newly formed group; and (4)
the downgrading from groups to
squadrons of three USAFSS tenant
units. On 21 May 1974, Major
General H. P. Smith assumed
command of USAFSS, replacing
Major General (later Lieutenant
General) Walter T. Galligan who
was reassigned as commander of
5th Air Force at Fuchu Air
Station, Japan. General Smith
came to USAFSS from the Defense
Intelligence Agency (DIA) where
he served as Deputy Director for
Intelligence. In the face of
constant reductions, the only
solution for USAFSS was to find
ways to do the job better. The
Command's Rivet Joint
modernization proposal, which
the Secretary of Defense
approved on 29 July 1974,
represented one approach toward
improved operations. It was
aimed at replacing the obsolete
equipment in the 12-aircraft
Rivet Joint fleet. When the last
C-47 Airborne Radio Direction
Finding aircraft returned to its
base at 1545 hours on 15 May
1974, it marked an end to a
relatively brief but proud era
in USAFSS airborne operations.
For eight years, the Airborne
Radio Direction Finding program
had provided valuable support to
U.S. and friendly tactical
commanders throughout Southeast
Asia. Yet another era in USAFSS
mission operations ended on 30
June 1974 when the 6910th
Security Group at Augsburg,
Germany, and the 6994th Security
Squadron at Ubon, Air Force
Station, Thailand, were
inactivated. The 6910th Security
Group had been a mainstay of
USAFSS operations in Europe
since December 1953, while the
6994th Security Squadron served
as the Command's unit in Vietnam
during the war. At one time, the
6994th Security Squadron and its
detachments operated the mission
equipment aboard some 48 EC-47
aircraft in South Vietnam, Laos,
Cambodia, and Thailand. On 1
July 1974, the Consolidated
Security Operations Center, a
joint USAFSS and Army Security
Agency was activated in San
Antonio, Texas, at Lackland Air
Force Base Annex (formerly
Medina Base). The United States
Air Force Security Service
deployed a 114-man emergency
reaction unit to San Vito,
Italy, for 60 days resulting
from the Cypriot/Cretan Crisis.
On 16 August 1974, Greek
protesters penetrated the base
perimeter at Iraklion AS, Crete
(6931st Security Group)
inflicting considerable damage
to U.S. property located near
the station's perimeter fence.
United States Air Force Security
Service Commander, Major General
H. P. Smith, established a
Crisis Management Team
(consisting of operations
specialists having an intimate
knowledge of unit operations,
posture, and functions) to be
available to the USAFSS Battle
Staff for consultation during
future crisis situations.
Colonel (later Major General)
Norma E. Brown became the first
woman to command an Air Force
wing when she assumed command of
the 6940th Security Wing,
Goodfellow Air Force Base,
Texas, on 1 December 1974.
1975 - For nearly eight years,
Combat Apple played a key role
in Southeast Asia operations.
Then, on 30 April 1975, after
the emergency evacuation of U.S.
and South Vietnamese personnel
from Saigon, the last Combat
Apple mission was flown. The Air
Force Special Communications
Center (AFSCC) was redesignated
the Air Force Electronic Warfare
Center (AFEWC), effective 1 July
1975, to reflect more accurately
the Center's EW mission and give
it greater visibility throughout
the Defense Department. Early in
1974, General John Vogt,
Commander in Chief, United
States Air Forces in Europe, (CINCUSAFE),
based on his experience with
intelligence support during the
Vietnam War, established a
requirement for timely
intelligence support.
Headquarters USAF decided USAFSS
could best provide this support
through its 6911th Security
Squadron (M) which would become
a direct support unit. But first
the unit had to undergo a
significant expansion of
personnel, equipment, and real
estate and be moved from Rhein
Main, Germany, to Hahn Air Base,
Germany. That happened on 25
July 1975 when it was converted
to a Direct Support Unit (DSU)
immediately responsive to
requests from European
consumers, mainly USAFE, for
intelligence support of a
primarily tactical nature.
United States Air Force Security
Service ended an era on 24 June
1975 when it turned in all of
its administrative aircraft --
two O-2s and three C-118s --
ending 24 years of airlift
support to the command
headquarters. The Kelly Air
Force Base, Texas-based USAFSS
Flight Operations Section closed
out operations with an
unblemished flying safety record
(zero accident rate) for those
24 years, averaging 2,200 flying
hours per year. On 25 July 1975,
the Turkish government ordered
all U.S. operations at
Karamursel Air Station shutdown
immediately, due to an arms
embargo imposed against Turkey
by the U.S. Congress. Major
General Kenneth D. Burns
replaced Major General H. P.
Smith as USAFSS Commander
effective 11 August 1975.
1976 - In June 1975, termination
of the high altitude
reconnaissance drone, nicknamed
Combat Dawn, created an
intelligence void that was only
partially offset by introduction
of the Burning Candy RC-135.
Approval of an operation to fill
that void was stalled until a
flurry of activity in early
January 1976 pointed toward
imminent activation of a U-2
operation from Osan Air Base,
Korea. When the dust settled,
USAFSS was charged with manning
the system, nicknamed Olympic
Game, and the 6903d Security
Squadron at Osan AB was assigned
the Olympic Game mission. The
AFEWC learned that it had been
awarded the Air Force
Organizational Excellence Award
for the period 1 January 1974-1
January 1976 in recognition of
its ". . . comprehensive
operational electronic warfare
support to the Department of
Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff,
and all of the military services
. . ." The 6924th Security
Squadron, Ramasun Station,
Thailand, which had been
stationed at Da Nang AB, South
Vietnam, during the war in
Southeast Asia, was deactivated
on 15 May 1976.
1977 - A longtime USAFSS unit,
the 6987th Security Squadron at
Shu Lin Kou Air Station, Taiwan,
was discontinued on 1 April
1977. After two years of
unsuccessful negotiations
between the U.S. and Turkey to
reopen operations at Karamursel,
the 6933d Security Group was
discontinued on 1 October 1977.
The impact of the Thailand,
Taiwan, and Turkey reductions
was partially offset by
reallocation of tasks and
resources to other USAFSS bases.
USAFSS transferred its
cryptologic school at Goodfellow
Air Force Base, Texas, to the
Air Training Command (ATC) on 1
July 1978. Three months later,
on 1 October, USAFSS ended 20
years of base management,
transferring its last four bases
-- San Vito Air Station, Italy;
Iraklion Air Station, Crete; RAF
Chicksands, United Kingdom; and
Misawa Air Base, Japan -- to the
theater commands. The net result
was the transfer to other Air
Force commands of 17 USAFSS
units, a cryptologic training
mission, 5 host bases, and about
4,000 USAFSS personnel. Although
the outflow of personnel from
the command sometimes seemed
like a flood, there occasionally
was a trickle of spaces back
into the command. The Command
headquarters building (Bldg.
2000) was named Ardisana Hall on
14 July 1978 in memory of
Brigadier General Bernard
Ardisana, a longtime member of
the command and a former vice
commander who died on active
duty while assigned to NSA. The
first operational application of
C3CM by ESC occurred during
exercise Blue Flag 79-1, 1-10
December 1978, at Hurlburt
Field, FL.
1979 - Major General Doyle E.
Larson replaced Major General
Kenneth D. Burns as USAFSS
Commander effective 19 January
1979. General Larson was the
last USAFSS Commander and the
first ESC Commander. On 1
February 1979, USAFSS
transferred operation and
maintenance of its
Telecommunications Center to Air
Force Communications Service
(now Air Force Communications
Command). On 17 July 1979, Major
General Larson officially opened
the Command Alert Center.
Headquarters USAFSS was
redesignated the Headquarters
Electronic Security Command
(ESC), effective 1 August 1979,
because of its broader
electronic warfare (EW)
responsibilities. The units
assigned to USAFSS were
automatically transferred to
ESC.
Return to the
top
AIA
in the 1980s
1980 - The ESC Comfy Olympics
program was officially created 1
January 1980 to identify and
recognize ESC's most talented
individual enlisted technicians.
Modeled after the Strategic Air
Command's annual missile,
bombing and munitions
competitions, the objectives of
the program were to improve
technical performance and
proficiency and recognize and
reward technical excellence
command-wide. The Air Force
Cryptologic Depot (AFCD) was
redesignated the Air Force
Cryptologic Support Center (AFCSC)
effective 1 February 1980.
Construction of a Document
Destruction System (DDS) as an
addition to Ardisana Hall, Kelly
Air Force Base, Texas, was
completed on 19 March 1980 at a
cost of $74,200. DIRNSA assigned
the Ladylove mission to ESC
effective 31 March 1980.
Headquarters USAF established
the Directorate of
Electromagnetic Combat (AF/XOE),
DCS/Operations, Plans, and
Readiness, in support of the ESC
mission on 30 April 1979. The
Joint Electronic Warfare Center
(JEWC) was activated at Kelly
Air Force Base, Texas, on 1
October 1980 and functioned
under the direction of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff through the
Director of Operations, Joint
Staff. Major General Doyle E.
Larson, also assigned as ESC
Commander, was assigned as
Director of the JEWC. The ESC
emblem was approved on 12
February 1980 and became
official 1 March 1980. There was
no motto selected at that time.
The command did not have a motto
until the old USAFSS motto,
Freedom Through Vigilance, was
selected in 1987. Transfer of
the SCI adjudication function
and spaces from ESC to AFIS/INS
was completed during July 1980.
The first modernized Rivet Joint
Block III aircraft was
delivered.
The Air Staff tasked ESC on 30
September 1980 to take the lead
in getting a Red Force Team
(Constant Spur) underway to
employ adversary C3CM actions
against friendly operators
(combat crews, weapons
controllers, communications) and
C3 facilities in order to train
them in a degraded C3
environment, and stress friendly
C3 systems. On 3 November 1980,
Headquarters USAF directed ESC
to combine the Red Force
(Constant Spur) and Blue Force
(Electronic Support Team)
programs. The combined program
was designated Comfy Challenge
and the interim program was
designated Comfy Sword II.
1981 - Navy Lieutenant Cmdr G.
Guy Thomas received the Air
Force Officer Aircrew Member
Badge on 5 January 1981,
becoming the first member of the
Department of the Navy to be
awarded the Air Force wings. The
operational deployment of the
first modernized Rivet Joint
aircraft to the 6988 ESS, RAF
Mildenhall, United Kingdom, took
place on 9 January 1981.
Completion of the modernization
of the second aircraft and its
subsequent deployment to the
6985 ESS, Eielson Air Force
Base, Alaska, occurred in
February 1981. Successful Block
III operations at these two
units, and mixed fleet
operations at Offutt Air Force
Base, Nebraska, continued
throughout the year despite
frequent surge tasking and
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