GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Goodfellow held an activation and assumption of responsibility for the 533rd Training Squadron Detachment 1 at the Powell Event Center, June 21.
“The activation for the 533rd TRS Det 1, officially establishes the Space Force’s own organized intelligence technical training unit,” said Space Force Master Sgt. Cathy Nikolauk, 316th Training Squadron section chief. “This is a vital step in creating the Space Force’s own unique culture that will shape the force for generations to come.”
The Department of the Air Force has been operating in the space domain for over 60 years.
“The Space Force is less than three years old,” said Lt. Col. Charles Cooper, 533rd Training Squadron commander. “But the link between space operations and intelligence operations goes back to the very beginning of the space race.”
Though hosted on Goodfellow Air Force Base, the 533rd TRS Det 1 is a separate unit that belongs to the Space Force Training and Readiness Command, at the geographically separated Vandenberg Space Base, California.
“This is a momentous occasion for our Wing,” said Col. Matthew Reilman, 17th Training Wing commander. “It highlights the importance of our joint service partnerships for years to come.”
“The link between space and intelligence, Vandenberg Space Base and Goodfellow AFB, is historic,” said Cooper. “We can globally project power to defend our national interests in a moment’s notice because we can harness the ultimate high ground.”
Space Force’s 533rd TRS Det 1 was activated, effective November 25, 2021, and is under the responsibility of Space Force 1st Lt. Robert Freeman, detachment chief.