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U.S. Air Force

Intelligence Squadrons

The analysts, targeteers, and collection managers who produce the intelligence that drives air operations. From Cold War photo interpretation to real-time ISR fusion, Intelligence turns data into decisions.

Intelligence
Explore Intel Squadrons
Intel Wings / DCGS / ISR Squadrons
Knowledge is the Weapon Est. 1942
INTELLIGENCE
14N / 1N AFSCs
Intelligence Squadrons
Analysis / Targeting / ISR / SIGINT
14N
Intel Officer AOC
1N
Enlisted Intel AFSCs
DCGS
Distributed Ground
ISR
COLLECTION & ANALYSIS
Air Force Intelligence squadrons provide the targeting, analysis, and threat assessment that drives every air operation. Intelligence officers build target folders for strike missions. Enlisted analysts process imagery from satellites and RPAs. SIGINT specialists intercept enemy communications. The Distributed Common Ground System fuses ISR data from across the theater into actionable intelligence. Without intel, fighters do not know what to hit and commanders do not know what the enemy is doing. Read more
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Cold War to Persistent ISR 1947 - Present
COLD WAR
RECONNAISSANCE
Cold War Photo Intelligence
U-2 / SR-71 / Satellite Imagery
U-2
Dragon Lady
SR-71
Blackbird
Corona
Spy Satellite
Imagery
PHOTO ANALYSIS
Cold War intelligence collection defined the modern ISR enterprise. U-2 flights over the Soviet Union discovered missile sites. The SR-71 Blackbird flew at Mach 3 to photograph denied areas. Corona satellites provided the first space-based imagery intelligence. Photo interpreters at the National Photographic Interpretation Center analyzed every frame. The Cuban Missile Crisis was resolved because intelligence analysts correctly identified SS-4 missile sites from U-2 photography. Read more
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GWOT ISR
PERSISTENT OVERWATCH
GWOT ISR Revolution
MQ-9 / DCGS / Unblinking Eye
MQ-9
Reaper RPA
DCGS
Intel Processing
FMV
Full Motion Video
F3EAD
FIND FIX FINISH
The GWOT created the era of persistent ISR. MQ-9 Reapers orbited over Afghanistan and Iraq for hours, streaming full-motion video to intelligence analysts on the ground. DCGS sites across the U.S. processed that data in near real-time, feeding the Find, Fix, Finish, Exploit, Analyze, Disseminate targeting cycle. Intelligence squadrons at Langley, Beale, and distributed sites worldwide became the backbone of the counterterrorism kill chain. Read more
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14N
Intel Officer AOC
DCGS
Distributed Ground Sys
ISR
Collection & Analysis
F3EAD
Targeting Cycle