5 RS members named best reconnaissance crew

Published Nov. 19, 2014
By Master Sgt. Marelise Wood
7th Air Force Public Affairs

OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Two members of the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron here were recently selected as the best reconnaissance crew in the United States Air Force by the Air Force Association.

Lt. Col. Luke Lokowich and Maj. Ricardo Diaz were recipients of the AFA's Gen. Jerome O'Malley Award for their resourcefulness, innovative thinking and leadership.

According to their award package, "after months of intense planning with United States Forces Korea Joint Intelligence, 7th Air Force and U.S. Pacific Command, Lt. Col. Lokowich and Maj. Diaz embarked on simultaneous U-2S flights to monitor the Korean Armistice compliance. This unique mission of combined sorties implemented new locally developed techniques, tactics and procedures (TTPs) and as a result collected groundbreaking imagery that increased the geographical coverage by 500 percent and laid the foundation for future dual U-2S imagery intelligence operations."

"Maj. Diaz and I, we did it together," said Lt. Col. Lokowich, 5th RS commander. "He was the director of operations here last year. He and I used the capability of two different sensors that we operate and we did it at the same time. We decreased the collection time and increased the collection capability."

The U-2 is capable of collecting imagery using a radar system, the Advance Synthetic Aperture Radar System (ASARS) and using what can be likened to a specialized digital camera, the Senior Year Electro-optical Reconnaissance System (SYERS). However, only one of those sensors can be carried by the aircraft at a time. So before Lokowich's and Diaz's innovative thinking, the standard operating procedure was to capture ASARS imagery and SYERS imagery on separate sorties on separate days.

"A U-2 flying and getting ASARS imagery, not a big deal," said Lokowich. "A U-2 flying and getting SYERS imagery, not a big deal. The fact that we were doing it at the same time decreased the time it took to get those images. "

The result of combining those sorties not only saved time and earned them award recognition but it has created changes in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance community. The Commander 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance Wing, Langley Air Force Base, Va., has directed implementation of their TTPs across the entire wing. In addition, their TTPs were also recognized by the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency Unit Compliance Inspection team as a 'best practice.'

"It is an amazing feeling to know that all the hard work paid off and that we were able to change the way high altitude ISR is employed," said Diaz, now stationed at Headquarters Pacific Command, Hawaii. "Our aircraft is extremely capable and it only took an idea like this to show its true potential if given the chance to try new things."

Diaz went on to stress that their accomplishment was a team effort.

"I need to thank Capt. Nicholas 'RIOT' Thome, Distributed Common Ground System-3 weapons officer, for his help during the planning and execution," he said. "Without their support this would have been just another idea that never left the ground. The mission is unique and being able to have as high impact as our sorties have in that area of responsibility is definitely a privilege."

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