The

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

's 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group is an intelligence unit located at

Hurlburt Field Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force S ...

, Florida. It provides intelligence support to

Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...

. The group was first activated during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as the 11th Photographic Group when the 1st Photographic Charting Group was expanded into two groups in 1943. Although its headquarters remained in the United States, squadrons and detachments of the group served in most combat theaters. It was disbanded in 1944, when its elements and other reconnaissance units were consolidated under the 311th Photographic Wing.

Mission

The 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group supports

(AFSOC) and provides analytical and targeting support to the rest of the Air Force. The group provides threat warning and enhances situational awareness to AFSOC aircrews across the spectrum of operations from conflict through humanitarian relief. The group and subordinate units conduct cultural and network studies to enhance tactics and ensure interoperability within the

special operations Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...

community and conduct research and development of communications sites. The group's airmen act as aircrew on almost every aircraft type within AFSOC.

History

World War II

The 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group was activated as the 11th Photographic Group (Mapping) at Reading Army Air Field, Pennsylvania in December 1943. Its original squadrons were the

1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and 19th Photographic Charting Squadrons at Bradley Field, Connecticut and the 3d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron at MacDill Field, Florida. All three squadrons were transferred from the 1st Photographic Charting Group at

Bolling Field The origins of the surname Bolling: English language, English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking". German ...

, in the District of Columbia. However, one flight of the 19th Squadron was deployed to

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

until 20 December. In January 1944, group

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

and the two squadrons at Bradley joined the 3d at MacDill.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 54–55Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 8–9Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 21–22Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 103–104 The 19th Squadron's stay at MacDill was brief, for its air echelon deployed to

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, Egypt on 30 January, moving to Deversoir Air Base, Egypt four days later. The squadron remained in Egypt for the rest of the time it was assigned to the 11th Group. In April 1944, the 3d Squadron moved to Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, where it began to train with the Boeing F-13 Superfortress in preparation for its September move to

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

where it began performing long range

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

missions for

Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Intercon ...

, although it was still assigned to the 11th. The

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

's early missions included the photographic mapping of the United States and sending detachments to the Chine-Burma-India Theater, the Near and Middle East, Mexico, Canada, Alaska, and the Caribbean to conduct similar missions. It was disbanded on 5 October 1944 and its component squadrons transferred directly to the 311th Photographic Wing.

Intelligence operations

The Air Force reconstituted group as the 361st Tactical Intelligence Group on 31 July 1985, but did not activate it. The group was renamed the 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group in October 2008 and on 29 October, the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency activated the group at

, Florida. The new group, under

operational control, took command of the 19th Intelligence Squadron at Pope Army Air Field (then Pope Air Force Base), North Carolina, and the

25th Intelligence Squadron The United States Air Force's 25th Intelligence Squadron (25 IS) is an intelligence unit located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It provides intelligence support to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Mission The 25 IS is a uniquely task ...

, Florida.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 11th Photographic Group (Mapping) on 19 November 1943 : Activated in December 1943 : Disbanded on 5 October 1944 * Reconstituted and redesignated as 361st Tactical Intelligence Group on 31 July 1985 * Redesignated as 361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group on 10 October 2008 : Activated on 29 October 2008

Assignments

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

, 1 December 1943 * 311th Photographic Wing, 5 March – 5 October 1944 *

Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency The Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency (Air Force ISR Agency or AFISRA) was until 29 September 2014 a :Field Operating Agency, field operating agency of the United States Air Force headquartered at Lackland Air Force ...

(later Twenty-Fifth Air Force), 29 October 2008 – 18 January 2015 *

363d Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing The 363d Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (363 ISRW) is a United States Air Force unit. The wing is assigned to the United States Air Force Sixteenth Air Force, stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. The wing cond ...

, 18 January 2015 – present

Components

* 1st Photographic Charting Squadron, 1 December 1943 – 5 October 1944 * 3d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 1 December 1943 – 5 October 1944 * 19th Photographic Charting Squadron, 1 December 1943 – 5 October 1944 *

, 29 October 2008 – present ::

, Florida * 19th Intelligence Squadron, 29 October 2008 – present :: Pope Army Air Field, North Carolina * 43d Intelligence Squadron, 1 November 2011 – present ::

Cannon Air Force Base Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, located approximately southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. The host unit at Cannon is the 27th Special Operations Wing (27 SOW) also known as "The Steadfast Line". It is under the jurisdi ...

, New Mexico * 306th Intelligence Squadron, 12 October 2012 – present :: Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma

Stations

* Reading Army Air Field, Pennsylvania, 1 December 1943 * MacDill Field, Florida, 5 January – 5 October 1944 * Hurlburt Field, Florida, 29 October 2008 – present

Aircraft

* Beechcraft F-2 Expeditor, 1943–1944 * Douglas F-3 Havoc, 1943–1944 * Consolidated F-7 Liberator, 1943–1944 * Boeing F-9 Flying Fortress, 1943–1944 * North American F-10 Mitchell, 1943–1944 * Boeing F-13 Superfortress, 1944

Campaigns and awards

Although deployed squadrons and elements of the group earned service and campaign credit during World War II, the 11th Photographic Group headquarters earned no campaign credit and was not active long enough to earn service credit for the American Theater of World War II.

Popular culture

In the 2019 film Terminator: Dark Fate, the character of Major Dean(played by actor Fraser James) identifies himself as a member of the 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* *

External links

Air Force Special Operations Command
{{AFISRA 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group 0361 Intelligence groups of the United States Air Force 1943 establishments in the United States