The
United States Space Force's 4th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron (4 EWS) is an offensive space electromagnetic warfare unit
formerly located at
Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base established in 1942 located six miles (10 km) southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, and a census-designated place in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. Th ...
,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, stood up operations 1 July 2014
at
Peterson Space Force Base
Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a United States Space Force, U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airp ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
.
Mission
The 4th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron is a Space Operations Command unit responsible for delivering offensive counterspace and
space situational awareness, as appropriate, to rapidly achieve flexible and versatile effects in support of global and theater campaigns.
The
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
provides combat space superiority effects to the Commander, Combined Force Space Component Command (CFSCC) and theater
Combatant Commanders
A unified combatant command (CCMD), also referred to as a combatant command, is a joint military command of the United States Department of Defense that is composed of units from two or more service branches of the United States Armed Forces, ...
through operation of the Counter Communications System.
History
The unit initially activated at
Lackland Air Force Base
Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Bexar County, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and an enclave of the city of Sa ...
, Texas in October 1990 as the 4th Surveillance Squadron, when it replaced Detachment 2, of the
694th Electronic Security Wing and assumed its personnel and equipment.
[Detachment 2 was a space systems training unit for ]Electronic Security Command
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
. Its origins were with Detachment 2, 6960th Electronic Security Wing, which was organized in September 1986. When the 6960th was inactivated in October, the detachment was replaced by Detachment 2, Headquarters, Continental Electronic Security Division, which was replaced in turn by Detachment 2, Headquarters, Space Electronic Security Division in May 1988. It came under the 694th Electronic Security Wing in May 1989. Peterson AFB Factsheet, 4th Space Control Squadron.
The Low Altitude Space Surveillance system (LASS) was activated by
Air Force Space Command
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
in October 1990. The unit was named the 4th Surveillance Squadron. One year later, it was redesignated as the 4th Space Surveillance Squadron. During this time, the unit continued to perform a research and development mission and a mission to train newly assigned LASS operators until April 1993. The 4th SPSS also performed mobile space surveillance communications and space data relay.
The squadron was assigned to the
73d Space Surveillance Group
Space Delta 3 (DEL 3) is a United States Space Force unit responsible for presenting operational combat-ready space electromagnetic warfare forces in support of assigned missions. It is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base.
Activated o ...
and in April 1995 merged with the
21st Space Wing
The 21st Space Wing (21 SW) was the United States Space Force's ground–based missile warning and space control wing. The 21st Space Wing was assigned to Space Operations Command and headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The 21st ...
. In April 1996, the unit moved operations from its home at
Lackland AFB
Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Bexar County, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and an enclave of the city of Sa ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, to
Holloman AFB
Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base established in 1942 located six miles (10 km) southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, and a census-designated place in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. Th ...
,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, before relocating to
Peterson AFB
Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the Nor ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
in 2011. The unit was redesignated as the 4th Space Control Squadron in February 2003. The 4th transitioned to a counterspace mission in July 2005, and activated its first Counter Communications System on 11 April 2006.
From late 2002 until May 2003 the squadron deployed 56 members to support
Operation Iraqi Freedom
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
to provide data relay and other space communications for theater commanders.
Squadron members deployed to the 379th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron along with other 21st Space Wing units to support Operation Silent Sentry and the Rapid Attack Identification Detection and Reporting System (RAIDRS) in Southwest Asia. Formerly known as the SATCOM Interference Response System (SIRS), Silent Sentry began simply as a proof of concept but grew into a fully operational system that supported the Combined Air and Space Operations Center's ability to command and control its forces. The system was Air Force Space Command's first deployable defensive counterspace weapon system. Their efforts earned them the 2006 Air Force Association Citation of Honor for "outstanding contribution of an organization to the development of aerospace power for the betterment of mankind."
On 15 April 2022, the 4th Space Control Squadron was redesignated the 4th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron.
Lineage
* Constituted as the 4th Surveillance Squadron on 26 September 1990
* Activated on 1 October 1990
* Redesignated 4th Space Surveillance Squadron on 15 May 1992
* Redesignated 4th Space Control Squadron on 1 March 2003
[
* Redesignated 4th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron on 15 April 2022]
Assignments
* 73d Space Surveillance Group
Space Delta 3 (DEL 3) is a United States Space Force unit responsible for presenting operational combat-ready space electromagnetic warfare forces in support of assigned missions. It is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base.
Activated o ...
(later 73 Space Group), 1 October 1990
* 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 orbit ...
, 26 April 1995 – October 2019[
* 721 Operations Group, October 2019- 23 July 2020
* ]Space Delta 3
Space Delta 3 (DEL 3) is a United States Space Force unit responsible for presenting operational combat-ready space electromagnetic warfare forces in support of assigned missions. It is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base.
Activated o ...
, 24 July 2020 – present
Stations
* Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, 1 October 1990[
* Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, 16 April 1996][
* Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, July 2014 – present]
Systems Operated
* Counter Communications System (2006 – present)
* Low Altitude Space Surveillance System (1986–2006)
Decorations
*Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the Awards and decorations of the United States Department of the Air Force, unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the A ...
: 1 January 1999 – 31 December 1999
: 1 January 2000 – 31 August 2001
: 1 October 2005 – 30 September 2007[
]
List of commanders
*Lt Col James G. Lee, ~1996
*Lt Col Cameron Bowser, 1996 – 1998
*Lt Col Jonathan Watkins, 1998 – 2000
*Lt Col Stephen M. Tanous, 2000 – 2002
*Lt Col James Wolf, ~2002 – 2004
*Lt Col Fred W. Gaudlip, 2004 – 2006
*Lt Col Daniel A. Dant, 2006 – 2008
*Lt Col Carl M. Jones, 2008 – 2010
*Lt Col E. Marcus Caughey, 2010 – 2012
*Lt Col Scott D. Brodeur, 6 July 2012 – June 2014
*Lt Col Eric Lingle, 11 July 2014 – ~April 2016
*Lt Col Christopher A. Fernengel, April 2016 – June 2018
*Lt Col William D. Sanders, June 2018 – ~16 June 2020
*Lt Col Kara L. Sartori, 16 June 2020 – 6 June 2022
*Lt Col Nicholas R. Shaw, 6 June 2022 – present
See also
*21st Space Wing
The 21st Space Wing (21 SW) was the United States Space Force's ground–based missile warning and space control wing. The 21st Space Wing was assigned to Space Operations Command and headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The 21st ...
*76th Space Control Squadron
The United States Air Force's 76th Space Control Squadron is an offensive counter space unit located at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The Squadron replaced the original 76th Space Control squadron in 2008 when that squadron returned to it ...
References
; Notes
; Citations
Bibliography
External links
49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs: Holloman AFB Homepage
{{USAF Space Command
Squadrons of the United States Space Force
Military units and formations in New Mexico