4th Space Operations Squadron

4th Space Operations Squadron
Active	1941–1946; 1947–1949; 1952–1958; 1992–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Satellite Operations
Part of	Air Force Space Command
Garrison/HQ	Schriever Air Force Base
Motto(s)	Linking the Forces (since 1994)^[1]
Engagements	Southwest Pacific Theater^[1]
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Philippine Presidential Unit Citation^[1]
Insignia
4th Space Operations Squadron emblem (approved 20 August 1992)^[1]
4th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron emblem (approved 20 January 1956)^[2]
4th Photographic Mapping Squadron emblem (approved 14 July 1943)^[2]

The United States Air Force's 4th Space Operations Squadron is a satellite operations unit located at Schriever AFB, Colorado. 4 SOPS controls the Milstar communication satellite constellation.

The mission of the 4th Space Operations Squadron is to ensure the Milstar system provides survivable, enduring, critical essential command and control communications through all levels of conflict for the president, the Secretary of Defense, and war fighting combatant commanders worldwide. 4th operates the $31 billion Milstar system executing communications management, satellite command and control, and ground segment maintenance for the Milstar constellation. The squadron's motto "Linking the Forces" reflects Milstar's responsibility to enhance the nation's secure communications capability for today's military forces.^[3]

History

World War II

Established under the 1st Photographic Group in May 1941. Performed aerial mapping primarily over the southwestern United States prior to the Pearl Harbor Attack using Beechcraft F-2 Expeditor variants of the Beechcraft Model 18 which were equipped for the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles.

After the United States entry into World War II, flew aerial mapping missions over Western Canada and Alaska, mapping uncharted territory to support the building of the Alaska Highway. Deployed to South America in 1942–1943; mapping locations in British Guiana and Brazil for locations of emergency airfields as part of the development of the South Atlantic Transport Route.

Attached to 13th Air Force in late 1944; engaged in long-range mapping and reconnaissance over combat areas in support of seaborne landings in the Southwest Pacific Area and the liberation of the Philippines. Remained in the Pacific Theater after V-J Day performing reconnaissance mapping flights over Japan, Korea and China. Unit largely demobilized on Okinawa. Inactivated in early 1946.

Air Force reserve

Active from 1947 to 1949 at Niagara Falls Municipal Airport as a reserve unit. Apparently not fully manned or equipped.^[1]

Strategic Air Command

Reactivated in 1952 as part of Strategic Air Command. Mission was to gather intelligence on a global scale. Squadron operated Boeing RB-47 Stratojet medium bombers refitted for aerial reconnaissance and mapping mission. Flew day and night strategic reconnaissance missions over a global scale. Inactivated due to budget reductions in 1958.

Space unit

Activated at Falcon Air Force Base, Colorado in 1992 as a space unit.^[1]

Lineage

Constituted as the 4th Photographic Squadron on 15 May 1941

Activated on 10 June 1941

Redesignated 4th Mapping Squadron on 13 January 1942

Redesignated 4th Photographic Mapping Squadron on 9 June 1942

Redesignated 4th Photographic Charting Squadron on 11 August 1943

Redesignated 4th Reconnaissance Squadron, Long Range, Photographic on 15 June 1945

Redesignated 4th Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Photographic on 20 November 1945

Inactivated on 14 April 1946

Redesignated 4th Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic on 5 September 1947

Activated in the reserve on 20 September 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949

Redesignated 4th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Medium on 9 May 1952

Activated on 28 May 1952

Inactivated on 1 July 1958

Redesignated 4th Space Operations Squadron on 1 April 1992

Activated on 30 April 1992^[1]

Assignments

1st Photographic Group (later 1st Mapping Group, 1st Photographic Charting Group), 10 June 1941
311th Photographic Wing (later 311th Reconnaissance Wing), 5 October 1944 – 14 April 1946

Attached to

Thirteenth Air Force, c. 7 November 1944

4th Photographic Group, December 1944

6th Reconnaissance Group, 3 May 1945

308th Bombardment Wing, 22 October 1945 – 14 April 1946

First Air Force, 20 September 1947
26th Reconnaissance Group, 23 October 1947 – 27 June 1949
26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 28 May 1952 – 1 July 1958
50th Operations Group, 30 April 1992 – present^[1]

Stations

Moffett Field, California, 10 June 1941
March Field, California, 10 December 1941

Detachments operated from various bases in Alaska, Canada, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, between 1942 and 1944)

Peterson Field, Colorado, 4 January 1944
Buckley Field, Colorado, 1 July – 14 October 1944
Hollandia Airfield Complex, Netherlands East Indies, 7 November 1944

Detachments operated from:

Wama Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, December 1944 – January 1945

Australia, January–May 1945

San Roque Airfield (Moret Field), Mindanao, Philippines, April–June 1945

Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, June–August 1945

Tacloban Airfield, Leyte, Philippines, 11 July 1945

Detachment operated from Okinawa, August–October 1945

Seoul Airport, South Korea, 25 October 1945 – 14 April 1946
Niagara Falls Municipal Airport, New York, 20 September 1947
Buffalo Airport, New York, 3 May 1948 – 27 June 1949
Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, 28 May 1952 – 1 July 1958
Falcon Air Force Base (later Schriever Air Force Base), Colorado, 30 April 1992 – present^[1]

Aircraft

Beechcraft F-2 Expeditor, 1941–1942
A-29 Hudson, 1942
B-34 Lexington, 1943–1944
B-24/F7 Liberator, 1943–1946
Unknown, 1947–1949
Boeing YRB-47 Stratojet, 1953–1958
Boeing RB-47 Stratojet, 1953–1958
Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1953–1958
Satellites, 1992–present

Commanders

Lt Col Charles Thompson (March 1992 to June 1993)
Lt Col Kimber McKenzie (June 1993 to January 1995)
Lt Col Michael Mantz (January 1995 to August 1996)
Lt Col Philip Fitzjarrell (August 1996 to March 1999)
Lt Col Allan Kirkman (March 1999 to February 2001)
Lt Col Roger Teague (February 2001 to June 2003)
Lt Col Ronald Huntley (June 2003 to June 2005)
Lt Col John Shaw (June 2005 to June 2007)
Lt Col Tommy Roberts (June 2007 to June 2009)
Lt Col Doug Schiess (June 2009 to June 2011)^[4]
Lt Col Scott Trinrud (June 2011 to Jun 2013) ^[5]
Lt Col Monte Munoz (June 2013 to July 2015) ^[6]
Lt Col Sherman Johns (July 2015 to present)

References

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Robertson, Patsy (December 1, 2008). "Factsheet 4 Spece Operations Squadron (AFSPC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
1 2 Endicott, pp. 351-352
↑ 4 SOPS Fact Sheet
↑
↑ http://www.schriever.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123261531
↑ http://www.schriever.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123353048

Bibliography

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Endicott, Judy G. (1998). Active Air Force Wings as of 1 October 1995 and USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995 (PDF). Air Force History and Museums Program. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ASIN B000113MB2. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved December 17, 2016.

Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)

Air Forces	Fourteenth Twenty-Fourth
Centers	Space and Missile Systems Space Innovation and Development 614th Air and Space Operations 624th Operations Air Force Network Integration
Bases	Buckley Los Angeles Patrick Peterson Schriever Thule Vandenberg
Stations	Cape Canaveral Cape Cod Cavalier Cheyenne Mountain Clear Eldorado (closed) Kaena Point New Boston Onizuka (closed)

Wings

Combat Communications	689th
Information Operations	688th
Network Warfare	67th
Space	21st 30th 45th 50th 310th 460th

Groups

Air Base	61st
Combat Communications	3d 5th 201st 226th 254th 281st
Cyberspace Engineering Installation	38th
Information Operations	318th
Network Operations	26th
Network Support	690th
Network Warfare	67th

Squadrons

Combat Communications	3d 5th 23d 31st 32d 33d 34th 35th 42d 51st 52d 53d 54th 55th 147th 221st 232d 236th 239th 242d 263d 264th 265th 267th 269th 271st 282d 283d 291st 292d 293d
Command and Control	1st 2d 3d 4th 55th Mobile 119th 153d 222d 721st Mobile
Space Control	1st 4th 16th 20th 25th 76th 380th
Space Launch	1st 2d 3d 4th 5th
Space Operations	1st 2d 3d 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 19th 21st 22d 23d 111th 148th AFSPC
Space Warning	2d 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 137th 213th
Others	26th Space Aggressor (AFRC) 527th Space Aggressor (ACC) 3d Space Communications 50th Space Communications 850th Space Communications 1st Space Development 2d Space Development 3d Space Development 3d Space Experimentation 1st Space Surveillance 3d Space Surveillance 5th Space Surveillance 1st Air and Space Test 2d Test Operations 3d Space Test 4th Space Test 55th Space Weather

USAAF Thirteenth Air Force in World War II

Airfields

Pacific	USAAF in the South Pacific USAAF in the Southwest Pacific

Units

Commands

Groups

Fighter	18th Fighter 347th Fighter 414th Fighter
Bomber	5th Bombardment 11th Bombardment 42d Bombardment 307th Bombardment
Reconnaissance	4th Reconnaissance
Troop Carrier	403d Troop Carrier

Squadrons

Bombardment	100th Bombardment 868th Bombardment
Night Fighter	418th Night Fighter 419th Night Fighter 550th Night Fighter
Reconnaissance	4th Photographic Charting 17th Photographic Reconnaissance 36th Photographic Reconnaissance 38th Photographic Reconnaissance
Troop Carrier	13th Troop Carrier

United States Army Air Forces

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