Det 4, 71 ISRS lights the path

  • Published
  • By Maj. Jeremiah Deibler
  • Detachment 4, 71 Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron

 

On Sept.11, 2020, the Detachment 4, 71st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron was activated.

 

The initial vision of Det 4’s leadership cadre was a team of empowered ISR professionals driving timely, tactical decisions and developing operators with contextual instruction and relevant, realistic training. Over the course of its first year, Det 4 internalized its mission and vision, creating a culture of intelligence professionals that believe and live the following: 

 

In Det 4, we believe empathy and honesty are the paths to truth, and direct communication pushes us on the course. We believe barriers are to be overcome, not admired. We believe we must take risk to overcome the barriers to our path. Because we believe in these ideals, we will be pathfinders. We will go alone, if necessary, to light the path for those that follow. We will not just set the example; we will instruct, we will guide, and we will grow our successors.

 

In that spirit, we are Rangers.

 

A Ranger goes beyond the known, taking risk to find truth and solutions to challenges to guide our fellow Guardians. 

 

Det 4’s Motto is “Light the Path” to demonstrate our commitment as leaders and pathfinders and as an acknowledgment of our history supporting the Space-Based Infrared System’s (SBIRS) Missile Warning mission.

 

Our unit patch ties together who we were, who we are, and whom we want to be. The patch embodies the spirit of warning and pathfinding. Ravens have long been associated with warning, providing foresight of the threat to come. The use of the raven implies the raven’s call, representing the early warning radar mission’s role in global strategic missile warning. The raven holds a sword to warn those who may threaten those we protect. A lantern hangs from the sword to highlight our charge and motto to “Light the Path” and recognize our history of intelligence support to the SBIRS mission at Buckley Space Force Base. The flame in the lantern and raven’s two red-eyes represent SBIRS’ infrared mission. The raven sits in space between the moon and the earth to persistently observe the threat. The five stars represent the five original geographically-separated squadrons within Space Delta 4 supported by Det 4. The large four represents the Det’s unit number. The seven within the four represents that the Detachment is the intelligence personnel from Space Delta 7 embedded into Space Delta 4. The tip of the four points to the top-most star to symbolize our persistent orientation to our North Star, truth.

 

The team has expertly accomplished its mission by performing 24/7 indications and warning of strategic and theater missile launches, developing full-spectrum threat assessments, providing advanced training scenarios, and conducting intelligence-driven mission planning. 

Videmus Mundum!