177th Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron

The 177th Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron is a unit of the 184th Intelligence Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, Kansas. The 177th is a non-flying squadron which trains in cyber warfare.

177th Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron
177th TFTS F-4D Phantoms, about 1988
Active1984–Present
Country United States
Allegiance Kansas
Branch Air National Guard
TypeSquadron
RoleIntelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance
Part ofKansas Air National Guard
Garrison/HQMcConnell Air Force Base, Kansas
Insignia
177th Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron emblem

Overview

The mission of the squadron is to attack American military networks, to discover vulnerabilities before a real enemy does.

The Information Warfare Aggressor role is similar to the "tiger teams" commercial firms hire (and the air force pioneered) to test the defenses of corporate networks. The two aggressor squadrons have increased the quality and quantity of attacks that can be launched against U.S. systems, to see how well the defenses hold up. Members of the squadron then analyze the results of their attack. Finally, the aggressor hackers tell the sysadmins and other concerned personnel of the target unit what they did wrong, and why.

History

On 1 February 1984, the 177th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron was established with the unit flying McDonnell F-4 Phantom IIs as a formal training unit. It conducted its first student training class the same year. The squadron converted to the General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon in 1990 and the F-16CC and F-16Din 1992. It was inactivated on 1 August 1994 when the F-16s were withdrawn from McConnell and its parent group became a bomber unit flying B-1B Lancers.

Lineage
  • Constituted as the 177th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron and allotted to the National Guard on 1 February 1984
Activated and extended federal recognition on 8 February 1984
Redesignated 177th Fighter Squadron on 16 March 1992
Inactivated on 1 August 1994
  • Redesignated: 177th Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron and activated on 30 August 2006

Assignments
  • 184th Tactical Fighter Group (later 184th Fighter Group), 1 February 1984 – 1 August 1994
  • 184th Regional Support Group, 30 August 2006 – Present

Stations
  • McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, 1 February 1984 – 1 August 1994
  • McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, 1 August 2002 – present

Aircraft
  • McDonnell F-4D Phantom II, 1984-1990
  • Block 1/5 F-16A and F-16B Fighting Falcon, 1990-1992
  • Block 25 F-16C and F-16D Fighting Falcon, 1992-1994

See also

References

     This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

    • Rogers, Brian. (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.
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