LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
The 718th Intelligence Squadron welcomed a new commander during a ceremony at Langley Air Force Base, Dec. 7.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Joshua Redden assumed command during the ceremony. Col. Douglas Drakeley, 655th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group commander, presided over the ceremony.
Redden shared his vision for the squadron with Airmen of the 718th IS.
"My focus will be to make sure Airmen are taken care of, have a sense of belonging and feel like a real family," said Redden. "We will also ensure our Airmen are properly trained to handle the mission."
The mission of the 718th IS is to provide combat mission-ready ISR command and control, signals intelligence mission management and all-source analysts; who process, exploit and disseminate ISR data, in support of the Distributed Common Ground System weapon system and combatant commanders. While located at Langley, the 718th IS reports to the 655th ISR Group at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
"We also provide fully-qualified system support Airmen to sustain and maintain the robust communications and computer network required to integrate into the DCGS worldwide enterprise," said Maj. Siphath Champy, 718th IS Information and Communications Flight commander. "We integrate with both regular [component] Air Force and Air National Guard partners."
That integration allows the 718th IS to continuously improve their personnel, equipment and processes while developing the flexibility to adapt to new missions.
"We are exposed to a variety of systems," said a 718th IS cyber-systems operator. "Being knowledgeable on how to maintain, administer, and troubleshoot them ensures that I am serving my purpose as a reservist by being willing and able to step up and accurately execute any task when called upon."