In the fight … outta sight!

  • Published
  • By Col. Elise M. Vander Vennet
  • MSOC and 373rd Intelligence Group commander
Preface: I originally wrote this piece in 2006 as an article for the Northern Light, but it was never published. As I prepare to depart Misawa Air Base at the end of August, it seems appropriate to publish it now not only for education of base residents about the MSOC but also as a tribute to the tremendous men and women with whom I have worked for the past 20 months. It has been my privilege to serve here as part of Team Misawa!

You know them -- they are the ones who bang their spoons on the table at awards luncheons and other ceremonies and shout strange slogans like "In the fight ... outta sight" or "Elephants rule, that's no bull."

Their Airmen wear Air Combat Command patches on their uniforms (soon to be changing to Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency patches) and work alongside Sailors, Soldiers and civilians. When you ask them what they do or where they work, they often respond cryptically, "on Security Hill," and quickly change the subject. You might wonder, who are these people and why are they so secretive about what they do?

In this short article, I would like to introduce you to the men and women of the Misawa Security Operations Center -- the MSOC -- and to tell you a little about the who, where, when, what and why of what we do up on Security Hill and why we can't tell you more or as the old joke goes, "we could tell you, but then we'd have to kill you."

First, let's start with "who." The MSOC is comprised of more than 500 people from three service organizations - the Air Force's 373rd Intelligence Group and its two squadrons, the 301st Intelligence Squadron and the 373rd Support Squadron; the Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Misawa; and the Army's 403rd Military Intelligence Detachment - as well as Department of Defense civilians and contractors. The AF, Army and Navy units report administratively through their own services, but come together under the operational control of the MSOC commander to perform our intelligence mission.

"Where" might seem to be the easiest question to answer - on Security Hill, of course! The MSOC includes three primary operations buildings within the fenced compound as well as a handful of administrative and storage buildings nearby. We own the famous "elephant cage" antenna and the field of radomes. But our Navy fliers also deploy to Kadena AB to fly on the EP-3 aircraft and personnel of all services as well as civilians deploy throughout the world to provide direct support to exercises and contingency operations.

"When" do they work? Most of the MSOC follows a normal Monday through Friday daytime schedule, however, our operations watch conducts our primary mission operations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Finally, "what" do they do and "why?" Very simply, we conduct intelligence operations in support of national policymakers and theater warfighters. While I can't tell you exactly how we do our work without revealing sensitive information that could jeopardize the success of our future operations, I can tell you that what we do directly supports our nation's highest strategic objectives and is critical to safeguarding our national security and that of our allies. It helps provide our national policymakers and our warfighters - from the highest levels of command to our local F-16 pilots - the best intelligence possible to conduct diplomatic and operational missions. And it has a daily impact on theater-level issues as well as Global War on Terrorism planning and operations.

I can also tell you that, although we don't talk much about what we do, the men and women of the MSOC work with incredible skill, dedication and accomplish tasks everyday that would just water your eyes!

So the next time you ask someone where they work and they say, "oh I just work up on Security Hill," you might want to give them a knowing smile to thank them for their efforts, because although they are "outta sight," they are always "in the fight."