27th IS ranked best in AF

by Staff Sgt. Jarad A. Denton
633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

5/16/2013 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. -- The 27th Intelligence Squadron recently earned the Lt. Gen. Harold W. Grant Information Dominance award, demonstrating itself as the best small communications and information unit in the U.S. Air Force.

This award, named in honor of a communications pioneer who worked throughout his career to ensure the operating forces had the best communications support available, recognizes large and small cyberspace and information dominance squadrons for sustained superior performance and professional excellence while managing core cyberspace and information dominance functions, and for contributions that most improved Air Force Department of Defense operations and missions.

The 27th IS mission is to provide "behind the scenes" communication and network services which tie into the analytical nodes of the Air Force Distributed Common Ground System, enabling the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing to deliver critical information to U.S. and Coalition combat forces operating in hot spots around the world.

"Each day, 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, the 27th IS is in the fight from Joint Base Langley-Eustis," said Lt. Col. Michael Pfingsten, 27th IS commander. "We leverage and hence exemplify the power of Air Force reachback operations, where crucial data is moved in real time to analysts around the globe to support forces down range via a distributed network."

To earn the award, the 27th IS needed to demonstrate how their major achievements, planning, management of resources and other accomplishments contributed to the overall Air Force mission.

"In my opinion, the global scope, diverse mission responsibilities, and mission impact of the 27th IS set us apart from most other eligible organizations," Pfingsten said. "We are a lifeline to combat forces, enabling airborne intelligence in support of numerous commands and places such as Afghanistan, Libya, Korea, and the Eastern Mediterranean region."

Pfingsten said none of this success would have been possible without the contributions of the Airmen within the 27th IS.

"This recognition is a testament to the hard work, mission dedication, and phenomenal impact you get by teaming together intelligence and communications professionals toward a common mission that they will not let fail," Pfingsten said. "I continue to be amazed at the collective talent and skill of the unit. They are truly heroes, and serve with the utmost professionalism and commitment to delivering world class intelligence services to our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen fighting down range."

Looking ahead of this success, the 27th IS plans to redouble their efforts and improve the systems and processes they have in place - which are specifically designed to save lives on the battlefield by ensuring the lines of information and communication remain unbroken.