Officials at Beale AFB, Calif., next month plan to celebrate the centennial of the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, the oldest flying unit in the US military. Today, the unit trains U-2 pilots and mission planners as well as pilots and sensor operators for RQ-4 Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft. It has flown 47 different airframes at numerous locations around the world since its creation as the 1st Aero Squadron on March 5, 1913, according to the unit’s official fact sheet. The two-day centennial commemoration will take place on March 7-8, and will “include an array of displays, squadron tours, a plaque dedication, and multiple distinguished guest speakers,” states a Feb. 7 Beale release. Gen. Mike Hostage, Air Combat Command chief, is among the dignitaries scheduled to attend the unveiling ceremony for the unit’s commemorative centennial plaque on March 8, according to the release. The 1st RS “is the United States military’s oldest flying unit” and “has maintained an unbroken heritage from its founding to the present day,” states the fact sheet.
The Department of the Air Force has identified 50 programs that will make up the core of its contribution to the Pentagon’s joint all-domain command and control effort, branding them part of the “DAF Battle Network,” according to newly-released budget documents. The DAF Battle Network programs span multiple offices and agencies…