39th Information Operations Squadron

The 39th Information Operations Squadron (39th IOS) is the U.S. Air Force's premier Information Operations and Cyber Formal Training Unit, part of the 318th Information Operations Group, assigned to the 688th Information Operations Wing, headquartered at Lackland AFB, Texas, under the Twenty-Fourth Air Force and Air Force Space Command.

Facilities
The 39th IOS is located on Hurlburt Field, Florida. The schoolhouse is a state of the art 17000 sqft facility housing several classrooms, multiple small group mission planning rooms and a 60-person auditorium. All classrooms are equipped with cutting edge communication and computer systems, to include secure video teleconferencing and fiber optic infrastructures. This allows real-time war gaming and improved instruction at multiple security levels.

Mission
Provide initial and advanced Information Operations and Cyber training for the United States Air Force.

History
The 39th Intelligence Squadron was assigned to the 67th Intelligence Group, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, until 1 October 1988 when it was relocated to Hurlburt Field, Florida under the direction of The Air Intelligence Agency. The squadron assumed the mission of the inactivated Detachment 1, 67th IG and was redesignated the 39th Information Operations Squadron on 1 September 1999, to better reflect its new and expanded mission set.

On 1 August 2000 the 39th was reassigned under the 318th Information Operations Group, under Air Force Information Operations Center, where it stayed until the AFIOC's redesignated as the 688th Information Operations Wing on 18 August 2009.

Lineage

 * Constituted on 7 February 1942 as the 136th Signal Radio Intelligence Company.
 * Activated 15 February 1942.
 * Inactivated on 8 May 1955.
 * Mission consolidated with 6919th Electronic Security Squadron on 1 October 1986.
 * Inactivated on 31 May 1991.
 * Redesignated the 39th Intelligence Squadron and activated on 1 November 1994.
 * Redesignated the 39th Information Operations Squadron on 1 September 1999.

Organization
Today, the 39th IOS falls under the 318th Information Operations Group, under the 688th Information Operations Wing, headquartered at Lackland AFB, Texas, under the Twenty-Fourth Air Force and Air Force Space Command.

The 39th IOS formerly fell under the Air Force Information Operations Center which was redesignated as the 688th Information Operations Wing on 18 August 2009.

Courses
The 39th IOS teaches four in-residence and two distance learning courses. The Information Operations Integration Course, which is required training for Airmen assigned to Information Operations flight billets; the Signature Management Course, which teaches military deception and operational security to wing level officers and NCOs; and a military deception course aimed at operational level planners. The unit also launched the Air Force's first Undergraduate Network Warfare Training course in October 2007.

Undergraduate Network Warfare Training
Also known as UNWT, this course is considered Initial Qualification Training for Network Warfare Operations Specialists. Students learn NW Ops concepts and operational functions, law and ethics in NW Ops, network fundamentals and NW Ops employment. Other activities include mission coordination and employment of network data extraction, manipulation, nodal vulnerability assessment, and engineering.

Information Operations Integration Course
Also known as IOIC, this course trains students in basics of IO, Air Force and Joint doctrine, concepts of operations, executing organizations, and operational functions of the USAF. Students will receive an initial familiarization of operations within the Air & Space Operations Center, focused on effects-based operations, and the importance of IO integration within operations planning.

Signature Management
Initial training for wing-level Signature Management Officers and NCOs. Combines traditional military deception and operations security concepts to assess installation processes in order to provide commanders with viable options in regards to protection or exploitation of installation signatures.

Operational Military Deception
Training for MAJCOM/NAF operational Military Deception Planners in an Air & Space Operations Center environment.