691st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group


The United States Air Force's 691st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group is an intelligence unit located at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

Mission

The mission of the 691 ISR Group is to execute operations providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to national decision makers, while providing planning, programming, logistics, and systems engineering expertise to execute cryptologic missions, in addition to promoting community relations and public affairs initiatives within a multinational and multi-service environment.

History

691st Electronic Security Wing

The group was first activated in June 1988 as the 691st Electronic Security Wing at Lindsey Air Station, in Wiesbaden, Germany. The wing replaced the 6910th Electronic Security Wing, absorbing the 6910th's personnel and equipment and assuming command of Electronic Security Command's units in Germany. The wing worked with the 66th Electronic Combat Wing to integrate ESC's assets and support forces into the exercises, activities and war plans of United States Air Forces Europe and NATO. In 1991, two of the wing's squadrons were inactivated and in October the wing was inactivated and its remaining squadrons assigned to the 26th Intelligence Wing.

Reactivation as a group at RAF Menwith Hill

The wing was redesignated the 691st Intelligence Group and reactivated at RAF Menwith Hill in January 2008, assuming the equipment and personnel of Detachment 1, 70th Intelligence Wing. At Menwith Hill, the 691st Group provided cryptologic liaison support to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence's largest operational field site, as well as maintaining liaison activities for allied information operations. The group was inactivated in September 2014, and its 451st Intelligence Squadron reassigned directly to the 70th Wing.

Reactivation at Fort Meade

By 2015 the 707th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group had expanded to the point that it was larger than most wings, and a division was made to spin off three of its squadrons into a separate group. In May 2016, the 691st was again activated at Fort George G. Meade to assume responsibility for these units.

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