WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Space Delta 7 - Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, activated the 76th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Oct. 4, 2023.
During the activation ceremony U.S. Space Force Col. Brett Swigert, DEL 7 commander, presented Lt. Col. Garrett Shannon the ceremonial guidon, representing assumption of command and establishing Shannon as the first 76th ISRS commander.
“This new squadron really rounds out Space Delta 7 to enable intelligence for full end-to-end operations,” said Swigert. “Now, within one delta, we’re able to task, collect, process, exploit and disseminate space-related intelligence to support combatant commands.”
The 76th ISRS will improve and integrate intelligence capabilities enabling comprehensive military advantage in space. This squadron will be the first and only space ISR unit charged with exploiting and fusing intelligence data from all available sources specifically in support of U.S. space superiority and enabling U.S. decision advantage in the space domain, the newest warfighting domain.
“The goals we have for the 76th ISRS are to align our organization with Space Force priorities and equip our Guardians with the training and materials needed to perform time-dominant and multi-intelligence analysis for maximum operational impact,” said Shannon.
The squadron’s emblem, designed by Spc. 3 Dylan Crowley, 73rd ISRS imagery analyst, was also revealed during the activation ceremony. The emblem features a hornet; a protective, communal, and lethal predator, signifying the unity of the squadron’s members who leverage multiple intelligence disciplines to rapidly process, assess, and disseminate information.
“One day before a commanders call, a hornet was harassing one of our supervisors,” Crowley explained. “That was the initial spark, and I decided to put more research into it. It turned out to be the perfect fit -- many of its traits, such as a photographic memory, the way they persist at a problem, and how they hunt threats, fit well.”
As the nation's competitors continue to present challenges to U.S. interests in space, the 76th ISRS will maintain a watchful eye through their mission of delivering enhanced threat warning to the Department of Defense, interagency, and allies and partners operating in this domain.
The 76th ISRS will be formally based out of WPAFB. However, in the first few years, a large contingent of the squadron will physically perform their duties and collocate with the Ohio Air National Guard's 178th ISR Group at Springfield-Beckley ANG.