Historic activation ceremony takes place at nuke surveillance center

  • Published
  • By Susan A. Romano
  • AFTAC Public Affairs
PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. --  For the first time in its storied history, the Air Force Technical Applications Center activated an Air Force Reserve squadron during a ceremony held at the center’s headquarters here Aug. 1, 2025.
 
The 71st Surveillance Squadron, now commanded by Col. Jared Broddrick, will be responsible for augmenting the 22nd Surveillance Squadron by providing strategic surge capacity and steady-state mission requirements in support of AFTAC’s global nuclear surveillance mission.  The 22nd SURS operates AFTAC’s 24-hour operations center that collects, processes and analyzes information from a global seismic, hydroacoustic, satellite and radio frequency recording network.  Additionally, the unit directly supports the U.S. Atomic Energy Detection System’s international treaty monitoring activities.
 
Col. David Sawyer, deputy commander of the 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, served as the presiding officer for the ceremony.
 
“As we unfurl the guidon today, we raise more than a symbol of command – we elevate our standard of excellence, readiness and service,” he said.  “Our nation sleeps better because of your vigilance, and our adversaries will think twice because of your presence.”
 
The squadron’s lineage dates back to 1955, when it was known as the 71st Reconnaissance Technical Squadron at Larson Air Force Base, Wash.  It was inactivated in 1957 and was redesignated as the 71st Intelligence Squadron in 2013, an Air Force Reserve unit based at Wright-Patterson AFB.  In this capacity, the 71st maintained its classic association partnership with the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, also located at Wright-Patterson.

As far back as 2016, AFTAC leadership wanted to pursue the option of introducing a Reserve unit to the treaty monitoring center.  Through the efforts of Kevin Callan, AFTAC’s chief of Manpower at the time, he took all the necessary and arduous steps to take it from concept to reality.
 
“This was not a simple undertaking by any stretch of the imagination,” said Callan, who is now the Director of Human Capital for Assured Access to Space at Patrick SFB.  “There were multiple meetings, countless emails, pages of notes and memos, and dozens of phone calls that took place before the official approval came down.”
 
The last step in the process was obtaining the approval from the Secretary of the Air Force, which was completed in early 2023.
 
The squadron was officially redesignated as the 71st Surveillance Squadron on May 1, 2025, with today’s ceremony serving as a symbolic establishment of command.
 
“The activation of this squadron is a direct response to the changing nature of the nuclear threat worldwide,” said Col. Creighton Mullins, commander of the nuclear surveillance center.  “The 71st SURS will be pivotal in expanding our depth of expertise and allow for greater surge capacity as AFTAC aggressively strengthens all partnerships to fulfill our sacred duty of keeping America safe.”
 
While the official activation took place more than three months ago, approximately 12 Airmen have been on long-term orders at the nuclear surveillance center, and 10 members have already been certified in their critical duty positions.  Ultimately, the squadron should employ just over 70 Reservists.
 
“When more than a third of our personnel are already fully qualified to execute the mission, it speaks volumes to the leadership and commitment we have between our two organizations,” said Broddrick.
 
The partnership between the 22nd SURS and the 71st SURS is what’s known as a Total Force Association, a structure that serves as an effective force multiplier by pairing units of different components (Regular Air Force and Air Force Reserve) to share equipment and infrastructure, while simultaneously maximizing the depth of experience from each organization.
 
Borne from TFA is Total Force Integration, a standard that fully incorporates the Air Force’s active duty, Guard and Reserve components into global contingency operations to meet national security demands in a resource-constrained environment.  It also integrates innovative organizational constructs to produce a more capable force structure.
 
"Total Force Integration is the ultimate force multiplier; it is strength through interoperability and mission success through synergy,” said Col. John Beatty, AFTAC deputy commander.  “The collaboration between the 22nd and 71st Surveillance Squadrons showcases how active duty and Reserve forces unite their talents to amplify capability, ensuring AFTAC is always ready to meet any challenge with precision and power."
 
Callan couldn’t agree more.
 
“The TFI between these two squadrons leverages both personnel and resources to maximize nuclear treaty compliance and development of advanced proliferation detection technologies to preserve our nation’s security,” he said.  “There is a goodness in the efforts of a massive ‘town of people’ who worked so hard to make this happen, and believe me when I tell you – I had a smile on my face during the entire activation ceremony seeing this finally come to fruition!”
 
During his remarks at the ceremony, Broddrick said, “Our commitment is to fight for excellence in our operational mission set – to seamlessly integrate across all facets into a total force with shared vision, combined capacity, and unparalleled capability.  There’s a lot to do, so let’s get after it!”