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Hurlburt intel units win AF level awards

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Mark Lazane
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Two intelligence units at Hurlburt Field have been named Best Intelligence Unit in their respective categories. 

Lt. General David Deptula, the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, presented the awards on a visit to Hurlburt Field Oct. 14 to both the 1st Special Operations Support Squadron Intelligence Flight and the 11th Intelligence Squadron. 

The 1 SOSS intelligence flight received the 2008 Outstanding Operations Support Squadron Intelligence Unit of the Year award. The award is presented annually to only one flight throughout the entire Air Force. 

"I am extremely proud of the incredible accomplishments we have achieved during such an extremely busy period," said Major Joseph Barry, 1 SOSS intelligence flight commander. 

Lt. Col. Ioannis Koskinas, 1st Special Operations Support Squadron commander, said he sees nothing but potential for his intelligence flight. 

"We may have won the 2007 award, but we're not resting on our laurels," Colonel Koskinas said. "There is a lot more work to be done and we look forward to keeping this award at Hurlburt Field for 2008 and beyond." 

"With over 60 people, our flight is one of the largest in the Air Force," Major Barry said. "We support the largest and most diverse operations group and wing in the Air Force." 

Major Barry is impressed with the overall operation of his entire flight. There were, however, a few accomplishments that he felt stood out slightly above the rest. 

During the last year, the 1 SOSS intelligence flight deployed approximately 60 Airmen for a total of 5,000 days. At any given time, 30 percent of the flight was deployed. 

The work didn't stop for those that were left behind. 

Flight members who remained at Hurlburt Field gave more than 2,000 briefs and created more than 4,500 imagery products for use in supporting their brothers-in-arms who were in the middle of the fight or on their way to it. 

Major Barry was also impressed with the flexibility his unit showed at various times throughout the year. 

"In the middle of our Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom focus, we were able to shift to the Horn of Africa in a 24-hour period. This epitomizes our motto of Always Ready - Always There." 

Like most commanders, Major Barry has obstacles he knows must be overcome in order to have mission success. However, his flight has been able to overcome these obstacles and achieve outstanding results. 

"The most challenging aspect is continuing to meet the increased operations tempo and expanding mission set with the same amount of people," Major Barry said. 

"In a world in which intelligence is the pace car for operations, the intelligence flight has to adapt to stay ahead of the power curve." Colonel Koskinas said. "We've had to do more with no manpower increases since the mid-nineties. With the 1st Special Operations Wing and the Special Operations Command's help, we're trying to improve our manning so we can continue to provide Air Force-level award winning support to America's Air Commandos." 

During his visit General. Deptula also presented the 11th Intelligence Squadron with the Outstanding Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Division/Information Operations Squadron/Intelligence Squadron Intelligence Unit of the Year award. This award is given annually to the top intelligence squadron in the Air Force. 

The 11 IS is tasked with analyzing, processing, and disseminating intelligence gathered throughout the world. Their workload continues to increase as the Global War on Terrorism ceases to slow down. 

A large role for the squadron is operating the intelligence portion of the unmanned aerial system program in relation to its use within the Special Operations mission. 

This year, the squadron conducted 53 percent of all Predator exploitations, helps units at all levels, including national agencies. 

The squadron has maintained a dizzying pace in support of the current Global War on Terrorism. 

The squadron saw a 500 percent increase in the amount of missions they were tasked this year. In addition, they had to deal with a seven-fold increase in deployment taskings, a figure that far surpassed their expectations for the year. 

The squadron also helped promote efficiency in the intelligence recovery process.They established the first in-theater special operations forces video analysis cell, allowing combat units to obtain crucial information on the spot rather than having them wait for the information to be sent away for analysis.