History
The 614th Space Intelligence Squadron was formed on Tuesday November? 22, 2003 and assigned to Vandenberg Air Force Base. The purpose of this squadron was to defend navigation, weather, communications and missile warning satellites from enemy attacks in space and on the ground. When the squadron was first formed the commander, Lieutenant Colonel Earl White, had this to say during a short ceremony; "Everybody in the world has been watching this Iraq war, and the Gulf War before that. And they know what space does for the US military. That is a key enabler. Without space, we're back to World War II. Anyone who wants to take on the United States knows they've got to handle us in space."
This statement shows how important space is to the US military. In the past two Iraqi conflicts, satellites in space, have been used extensively. Satellites are what give the US the edge over its enemies. Before the Gulf War in 1991, the US was alerted to the large presence of Iraqi troops on the border of Kuwait by satellites in space. This allowed the US to prepare a successful counter-attack that eventually wiped out the invading Iraqi forces and made them retreat back into Iraq. Many people have said that military satellites are the key to US military power. This makes perfect sense seeing that many of the missiles that the US has in its arsenal depend on the help of GPS (global positioning system), which in turn depend and can only function in conjecture with satellites in space. So without satellites the US military will lose a huge advantage and will have to fight their battles in a different manner.
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“The principal office of history I take to be this: to prevent virtuous actions from being forgotten, and that evil words and deeds should fear an infamous reputation with posterity.”
—Tacitus (c. 55–c. 120)
“To a surprising extent the war-lords in shining armour, the apostles of the martial virtues, tend not to die fighting when the time comes. History is full of ignominious getaways by the great and famous.”
—George Orwell (1903–1950)
“Don’t give your opinions about Art and the Purpose of Life. They are of little interest and, anyway, you can’t express them. Don’t analyse yourself. Give the relevant facts and let your readers make their own judgments. Stick to your story. It is not the most important subject in history but it is one about which you are uniquely qualified to speak.”
—Evelyn Waugh (1903–1966)