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Desert Lightning News                    February 5, 2016                                                                              13

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Intel paints battlefield picture from windowless room

Tech Sgt. Nicholas Rau                                                             the combined data and assessment to aircrews and leaders to ensure mis-
                                                                                   sion execution.”
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
                                                                                      However, intelligence isn’t just a one agency job. Airmen from the 455th
   BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- In a windowless room, il-                EOSS work with other services, civilian entities, and sometimes other
luminated only by the light of computer screens, intelligence Airmen of the        countries to ensure that they provide decision makers with best informa-
455th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron paint a picture of the             tion available.
battlespace clear as day.
                                                                                      “As the senior Air Force intelligence element in theater, we coordinate
   With intelligence gathered from multiple platforms, from ground forces          with lateral and higher headquarters intelligence elements from our sister
to satellites, the unit collects, analyzes, and formulates up-to-date reports for  services, coalition partners, joint headquarters, and national-level intelli-
commanders to make critical decisions where lives are sometimes on the line.       gence agencies which allow us to leverage their capabilities for our intel-
                                                                                   ligence requirements,” Shupert said. “The various intelligence products we
   “Intelligence informs operational planning based on the commander’s             create provide leaders with situational awareness that enables them to make
needs and the particular military objective, increasing chances for success,”      threat-informed decisions, risk assessments, force protection measures,
said Tech. Sgt. Jarom Saurey, the 455th EOSS Intelligence Flight superinten-       manning decisions and many more.”
dent. “Analysis reports draw on all available sources of information, includ-
ing existing and newly collected material. These reports are used to inform           To best accomplish their mission in the combined-intelligence stream, the
and influence the planning staff and seek to predict the adversary’s intent.”        intelligence flight has developed a unique set of skills.

   In order to meet this goal, Airmen from several intel Air Force specialty          “Our various skill levels and experiences allow us to identify oppor-
codes use several scientific and mathematical processes, such as using geo-         tunities to constantly improve our intelligence products,” Shupert ex-
locational mensuration functions, historical trend analysis, and manipulat-        plained. “Through this we gain ever increasing levels of expertise on the
ing geospatial databases. While it may sound like a Ph.D. in rocket science        threats our Airmen face operating at Bagram and conducting missions
is needed to decipher these techniques, the 455th EOSS intelligence flight          across Afghanistan.”
Airmen find parallels in a simpler explanation.
                                                                                      From the squad leader protecting the base from the ground, to the F-16
   “A good analogy of what intel does is similar to the weather flight,”            Fighting Falcon pilots conducting strikes from the air, every mission in Af-
said Maj. Joseph Shupert, the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing senior intel-           ghanistan is reliant upon good, up-to-the-minute intel. The Airmen of the
ligence officer. “We are both analysts who collect and interpret data that           455th EOSS Intelligence Flight provide this every day, even if they cannot
we can’t control, determine what it means to air operations, and present           technically “see” outside their windowless room.

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