The 50th Space Communications Squadron (50 SCS) is a

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, ...

of the

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...

located at

Schriever Air Force Base Schriever Space Force Base, previously Schriever Air Force Base, Falcon Air Force Base, and Falcon Air Force Station, is a base of the United States Space Force located approximately east of Peterson Space Force Base near Colorado Springs in ...

, Colorado. The squadron provides command and control systems, configuration control, and systems integrations for seven Department of Defense space programs including $8.2 billion

Satellite Control Network The Satellite Control Network (SCN), operated by the United States Space Force's Space Delta 6, provides support for the operation, control, and maintenance of a variety of United States Department of Defense and some non-DoD satellites. This i ...

supporting $50 billion in national satellite and terrestrial systems for United States, allied, and coalition forces. The squadron operates and maintains 22

Defense Information Systems Agency The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), known as the Defense Communications Agency (DCA) until 1991, is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) combat support agency composed of military, federal civilians, and contractors. DISA pro ...

nodes providing secure and unsecure voice and data communications for over 485 worldwide sites as well as over $100 million in base infrastructure supporting over 8,900 personnel. The 50 SCS has been operating and maintaining Global Broadcast Service (GBS) since February 2009 and is working on transitioning it to a new

Defense Enterprise Computing Center Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

architecture. 50 SCS manages U.S. Space Force's

Global Command and Control System Global Command and Control System (GCCS) is the United States' armed forces DoD joint command and control (C2) system used to provide accurate, complete, and timely information for the operational chain of command for U.S. armed forces. "GCCS" is m ...

. The squadron administers the MAJCOM Communications Coordination Center overseeing command and control of AFSPC-wide mission-unique communications as well as operating and maintaining the command's Global Command and Control System and Space Digital Information Network. When the

850th Space Communications Squadron The 850th Space Communications Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was a component of the 50th Network Operations Group, 50th Space Wing, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado. The squadron was activated 1 December 1997 as the ...

was inactivated on January 31, 2006, most of its functions and personnel were incorporated into 50 SCS.

Chain of command

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national sec ...

Space Operations Command Space Operations Command (SpOC) is the United States Space Force's space operations, cyber operations, and intelligence field command. It is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado and serves as the U.S. Space Force's service ...

* Space Base Delta 1 * 50th Mission Support Group

Lineage

* Constituted 50th Communications Squadron, November 15, 1952 * Activated, January 1, 1953 * Discontinued and inactivated, July 1, 1962 * Activated, March 1, 1991 * Inactivated, September 30, 1991 * Redesignated 50th Satellite Communications Squadron, January 1, 1992 * Activated, January 30, 1992 * Redesignated 50th Space Communications Squadron, July 1, 1992 * Redesignated 50th Communications Squadron, December 1, 1997 * Redesignated 50th Space Communications Squadron, October 1, 2002

Assignments

* 50th Air Base (later 50th Combat Support) Group, January 1, 1953 – July 1, 1962 * 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 May – September 30, 1991 *

50th Operations Group The 50th Operations Group was a subordinate unit of the 50th Space Wing, and assigned to Air Force Space Command from 1991-2019. The group, redesignated as Space Delta 8 on 24 Jul 2020 is stationed at Schriever Space Force Base, previously Sch ...

, January 30, 1992 * 50th Communications Group, December 1, 1997 * 50th Maintenance Group, October 1, 2002 * 50th Communications Group, June 1, 2003 – March 9, 2004 * 50th Network Operations Group, March 10, 2004 – 2020 * 50th Mission Support Group, July 24, 2020 - present (due to reorganizations that happened due to the standup of the

)

Stations

Clovis AFB Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, located approximately southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The host unit at Cannon is the 27th Special Operation ...

, NM, January 1 – July 23, 1953 * Hahn AB, Germany, August 10, 1953 * Toul-Rosieres AB, France, July 10, 1956 * Hahn AB, Germany, September 1, 1959 – July 1, 1962 * Hahn AB, Germany, 1 May – September 30, 1991 * Falcon Air Force Station (later Base, later Schriever AFB), CO, January 30, 1992

Commanders

* Lt Col Jody D. Acres, January 30, 1992? – July 12, 1994 * Maj Robert M. Flowers, July 13, 1994 – August 4, 1996 * Lt Col Charles H. Ayala, August 5, 1996 – July 22, 1998 * Lt Col Michael J. Kelley, July 23, 1998 – March 22, 2000 * Lt Col Thomas T. Shields, March 23, 2000 – November 2, 2000 * Lt Col Mark L. Hinchman, November 3, 2000 – December 17, 2000 * Lt Col Mona Lisa D. Tucker, December 18, 2000 – June 25, 2002 * Lt Col Michael J. Clark, June 26, 2002 – July 6, 2004 * Lt Col Mark G. Langenderfer, July 7, 2004 – July 9, 2006 * Lt Col Donovan L. Routsis, July 10, 2006 – August 18, 2008 * Lt Col Donald Fielden, August 19, 2008 – February 3, 2010 * Lt Col Fred H. Taylor, February 4, 2010 – August 6, 2012 * Lt Col Lynn Plunkett, August 7, 2012 – July 9, 2014 * Lt Col David A. Case, July 9, 2014 - July 19, 2016 * Lt Col Heather Uhl, July 19, 2016 - June 21, 2018 * Lt Col Anthony L. Lang, June 21, 2018 - June 22, 2020 * Lt Col Shane M. Warren, June 22, 2020 - Present

Awards and 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 ...

: * July 1, 1990 – August 5, 1991 * October 1, 1998 – September 30, 2000 * October 1, 2000 – October 1, 2001 * October 1, 2001 – October 1, 2002 * October 2, 2002 – October 1, 2003 * October 1, 2007 - September 30, 2009AFSPC GA-14, 2009

Emblem

Description (blazon)

Azure gridlined as a globe Argent, a gauntlet issuant from sinister base bendwise Silver Gray issuing a lightning flash between two arcing lightning flashes bendwise Or; all within a diminished bordure Sable. Attached above the disc a Gray scroll edged with a narrow Black border. Attached below the disc a Gray scroll edged with a narrow Black border and inscribed "COMM FOR THE WARFIGHTER" in Black letters.

Significance

Blue and yellow are the Air Force colors. Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air Force operations. Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel. The globe represents the earth. The gauntlet denotes power and the flexibility of space communications. The lightning bolts symbolize communications through teamwork and unity which result in swift and accurate striking power.

References

External links

Official fact sheet

50th SCS consolidates LAN, multimedia support
50th Space Wing Public Affairs, February 20, 2007
50th SCS focuses on info assurance
50th Space Wing Public Affairs, December 15, 2006
Comm squadron develops Air Force Standard Desktop
50th Space Wing Public Affairs, December 14, 2005 {{United States Space Force Squadrons of the United States Space Force Communications squadrons of the United States Air Force Military units and formations in Colorado