Officials at Cannon AFB, N.M., officially activated the 43rd Intelligence Squadron during a ceremony last week. The squadron, which is taking the place of Det. 1, 25th IS, which was inactivated, will train and employ direct support operators specializing in threat warning and situational awareness while flying aboard Air Force Special Operations Command aircraft. “As a detachment, we’ve been here since the 27th Special Operations Wing first stood up,” said 1st Lt. Paul Caruso, 43rd IS chief of current operations. “As a squadron, we’ll be here for as long as there are flying squadrons who need the intelligence we provide.” Maj. William J. Howery, the former Det. 1 commander, relinquished command to Lt. Col. Frederick Humphrey, the new squadron commander, during a ceremony at Cannon, Nov. 1. The transition from a detachment to a squadron was necessary to accommodate an increase in flying squadrons and aircraft located at Cannon, according to the release.
Pentagon Task Force, FAA to Test Counter-Drone Laser
March 7, 2026
The Pentagon’s counter-drone task force announced it would conduct a high-energy laser test with the Federal Aviation Administration less than a month after the use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border prompted the FAA to shut down the airspace over El Paso, Texas.