The

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

's 3d Command and Control Squadron (3 CACS) was a

command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization or e ...

unit located at

Offutt AFB Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Ai ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

Mission

The 3d Command and Control Squadron mission was shrouded in secrecy, however some details from its location, successor unit, and unit emblem shed some light on its operations.

History

Emblem Significance

The device in the center of the disc is a Hydra, a creature which in mythology had several heads. These heads represent the multiple sensor sites of the 3 CACS, which provide continuous, worldwide surveillance. According to mythology, the hydra in combat could detect an attack from any direction even with the loss of a head. Similarly, 3 CACS maintains global coverage even if one of its sensors is put out of operation. This global capability is further amplified by the motto of the unit: "Watching the World". The disc is divided by the colors black and white which represent night and day. The squadron works night and day. The line of USAF yellow dividing these colors symbolizes the sun which divides the day and night. The USAF blue in the scrolls suggests the sky, the medium in which the Air Force operates. The USAF yellow in the emblem's borders and in the lettering in the scroll denotes the excellence required of Air Force personnel. The motto describes the mission of 3 CACS and how the men and women continuously carry out their mission.

Previous designations

* Detachment 1,

21st Operations Group Space Delta 2 (DEL 2) is the United States Space Force's space domain awareness delta and is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. Space Delta 2 tracks and monitors all manmade objects from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous orbi ...

(31 Jul 1999–Present?)AFSPC Special Order GD-018, 19 Jul 1999 * 3d Command and Control Squadron (1 Mar 1996-31 Jul 1999)AFSPC Special Order GD-005, 12 Jan 1996 * Detachment 1,

(11 Jan 1996-1 Mar 1996)

Commanders

*Major Michael J. Morgan (30 Jun 1998-Aug 1999) *Lt Col Diann Latham (11 Mar 1996-???)

Bases stationed

(1 Mar 1996-31 Jul 1999)

Equipment Operated

*Communications System Segment Replacement (CSSR) *Survivable Communications Integration System (SCIS) *Command and Control Processing and Display System Replacement (CCPDS-R)

Decorations

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and was the first independent Air Force d ...

**1 Jan 1998-31 Dec 1998 **1 Oct 1997-30 Sep 1999 **1 Oct 1995-30 Sep 1997AFSPC Special Order GA-09, 1 Nov 1997

References

External links

Air Force Link

Offutt AFB, Nebraska
{{DEFAULTSORT:3d Command And Control Squadron Command and control squadrons of the United States Air Force Military units and formations in New Mexico Space Development 0001