548th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group


The United States Air Force's 548th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group is an intelligence unit located at Beale AFB, California.
The group was first activated as the 6th Photographic Technical Squadron in November 1943. After training in the United States, it deployed to the Southwest Pacific Theater, serving in the Pacific until VJ Day. After the end of World War II the squadron remained in the Far East, serving in the occupation forces in Japan. It was still in Japan as the 548th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron, when the Korean War began in June 1950. It supported reconnaissance units in Japan until inactivated in 1960.
The squadron was activated to support Pacific Air Forces at Hickam Air Force Base in October 1965. As the Vietnam War increased the need for photographic interpretation, it expanded to become a group two years later. The 548th continued to serve in the Pacific until inactivating in 1992.
As the 548th Air Intelligence Group the unit was activated in August 1992, supporting Air Combat Command intelligence requirements until October 1994 when it was again inactivated. Its most recent activation at Beale Air Force Base took place in October 2003.

Mission

The mission of the 548 ISRG is to operate and maintain a $1B AN/GSQ-272 "Sentinel" weapon system, and provide combatant commanders with processing, exploitation, and dissemination of actionable intelligence data collected by U-2, MQ-1, MQ-9 and RQ-4 aircraft and other platforms as required.

History

The group was first activated in November 1943 as the 6th Photographic Technical Squadron.

Lineage

Campaign StreamerCampaignDatesNotes
New Guinea13 May 1943 – 31 December 19446th Photographic Technical Squadron
World War II Army of Occupation 17 May 1946 – 27 April 19526th Photographic Technical Squadron
Korean Service Medal without inscription27 June 1950 – 27 July 1853548th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron

Citations