9th Space Operations Squadron The United States Air Force ' s 9th Space Operations Squadron ( 9 SOPS ) is a space operations unit located at Vandenberg AFB , California . 9 SOPS operates the Joint Space Operations Center , or JSpOC , performing combat operations , plans , strategy and intelligence assessments enabling the commander , Joint Functional Component Command for Space ( JFCC - SPACE ) to command and control space forces by providing worldwide space effects to combatant commanders . Mission . 9th SOPS is an associate unit to the 614th Air and Space Operations Center , and augment the active duty in day - to - day operations of the Joint Space Operations Center , or JSpOC . The JSpOC is a 24 - hour operation center designed to provide commanders with coordinating , planning , and conducting space operations . History . The lineage of the 9thSpace Operations Squadron ( 9 SOPS ) traces itself from a proud and storied history spanning three distinct mission areas including heavy bombing during World War II ( WWII ) , air reconnaissance during the Cold War , as well as , most recently , space command and control . The 761 BS Heavy was activated on 1 July 1943 . The 761 BS started as a B - 24 Liberator unit originally stationed at Alamogordo Army Air Field , New Mexico and then moved to Kearns , Utah . While at Kearns , the 761 BS received deployment orders for the Mediterranean Theater of Operations ( MTO ) . The unit spent a short time at Chatham Army Air Field , Georgia flying coastal patrol missions over the Southeastern United States while airfield facilities at Spinazzola , Italy where being constructed . The 761 BS deployed to Spinazzola in January , 1944 and was assigned to the 55th Bombardment Wing under 15th Air Force with the mission of long - range strategic bombing missions targeting enemy military and industrial transportation targets including railroad marshaling yards , oil refineries , airdrome installations , heavy industry and other strategic objectives in Italy , France , Germany , Austria , Hungary , Romania , and Yugoslavia . The 761 BS flew its last WWII combat mission on 25 April 1945 . After Victory in Europe ( V - E ) Day , the mission changed to moving people under the “ Green Project ” . The aircraft bomb bays were sealed , the armament was removed , and the unit was reassigned to Air Transport Command . The unit relocated to Trinidad and subsequently Brazil . The 761 BS moved people from West Africa to Brazil with a final destination of Florida . In September , 1945 , “ Green Project ” ended and the 761 BS was inactivated . On 29 April 1946 , the 761 BS was re - designated as the 9 RS and assigned to the 341st Composite Wing ( 341 CW ) , 20th Air Force ( 20 AF ) , Far East Air Force . In 1946 , the 341 CW moved the 9 RS moved to Johnson ( later Yokota ) Air Base , Japan . 9 RS Airmen flew the P - 39 , as well as theF - 7 , F - 9 , and F - 13 ( B - 24 Liberator , B - 17 Flying Fortress , and B - 29 Superfortress bombers retrofitted to perform photo reconnaissance , respectively ) performing mapping missions over occupied Germany , Austria , France , Italy , Romania , Hungary , Yugoslavia , Poland , and Czechoslovakia as well as classified missions over the Soviet Far East . During this time period , the ‘ F ’ designation stood for ‘ foto - recon , ’ as opposed to ‘ fighter . ’ The 9 RS inactivated in October 1947 . The 9th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron ( 9 TRS ) was activated on 11 November 1953 at Shaw Air Force Base , South Carolina . The unit flew the RB - 26 Invader and RB - 66 Destroyer . The RB - 26 was a light bomber and nighttime recon aircraft and the RB - 66 added a weather sampling capability . In 1962 , 9 TRS had a Navy squadron commander , Commander Chester E . Kingsbury , and flew classified film missions supporting the Cuban Missile Crisis starting in October 1962 . Between 1963 and 1966 , 9 TRS routinely deployed to Southeast Asia and served as an Air Force training squadron for the upgraded B - 66 Destroyer . In 1971 , 9 TRS inactivated due to budget restrictions . The aircraft and crew were divided between units in Southeast Asia supporting the Vietnam War . Since the early 1990s , the space command and control mission evolved and changed faster than anyone could have imagined . In 1994 , 14th Air Force ( 14 AF ) was activated at Vandenberg Air Force Base and became responsible for space operations . Between 1994 and 1998 , United States Air Force Reservists supported HQ 14 AF on various man - day tours , primarily as individual mobilization augmentees ( IMA ) . In 1999 , Captain Pat Assayag led a team to 14 AF to discuss the possibility of activating a Reserve squadron to support the 614th Space Operations Flight ( 614SOF ) . On 1 October 1999 , 9 SOPS was activated as a Reserve Space Operations Squadron with 37 billets and the responsibility of supporting the newly re - designated 614th Space Operations Squadron ( 614 SOPS ) to build the weekly Space Tasking Order . Many Reservists supporting HQ 14 AF were then reassigned to 9 SOPS . At the unit activation ceremony , Major General Robert Hinson , commander of 14 AF , stated “ our ability to maintain our nation ' s superiority in space is dependent upon the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve as critical contributors to part of a cohesive Total Force . " In 2002 , the space mission transferred from United States Space Command ( USSPACECOM ) to United States Strategic Command ( USSTRATCOM ) , as USSPACECOM inactivated . Then in 2003 , the USSTRATCOM Joint Force Component Command ( JFCC ) construct was developed , and the Joint Space Operations Center ( JSpOC ) was activated under JFCC Space and Global Strike ( SGS ) , which was soon re - designated JFCC SPACE . In 2005 , as the Fiscal Year 2008 Program Objective Memorandum ( POM ) was drafted , HQ AFSPC increased manpower from 37 to 126 billets , ensuring additional support to the 614 SOPS and the new 614 Space Intelligence Squadron ( 614 SIS ) . Also that year , the 1st Space Control Squadron ( 1 SCS ) moved to Vandenberg AFB to become part of 614 SOPS . In 2006 , the JSpOC mission evolved and the unit grew , 9 SOPS continued to align closely with 614SOPS and 614 SIS missions . During this time , 9 SOPS began to more fully augment all divisions within 614 SOPS . 1 SOPS and 614SOPS combined to form the 614th Air and Space Operations Center ( 614 AOC ) in 2007 . In 2010 , the command structure of 9 SOPS was adjusted to bring it more in line with the host 614 AOC ' s O - 6 led command and division chief structure . Today , 9 SOPS is a growing unit of over 100 Space , Intelligence and Communications professionals , expanding the vital role of support of the 614 AOC and JSpOC . Throughout many changes in personnel and mission , 9 SOPS has been and continues to be a strong backbone to the Space Command and Control as well as Space Situational Awareness missions at Vandenberg AFB .