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The Air and Space Communications Group has been redesignated as the 435th Communications Operations Group. This change reflects a strategic shift from a primarily maintenance-focused role to a more active, operational stance, highlighting the group’s evolving responsibilities and capabilities in modern warfare.
June 27, when the group was redesignated from the 435th Air & Space Communications Group to the 435th Communications Operations Group, marked the next chapter of this storied unit. The event attended by members of the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, marked an evolution for the group, emphasizing its commitment to supporting front-line operations more directly and effectively. Over its 72-year history, the 435th Communications Operations Group has been redesignated nine times, each time to better align the organization to its core mission and operational requirements.
“With the redesignation, we’re shifting from being seen just as communicators and maintainers to being integral players in operational strategy,” said Master Sergeant Thaddeus Kloss 435thCOG section chief. “This aligns with our enhanced focus on supporting warfighters directly, tying everything from logistics to real-time combat operations.”
The move follows the development of new technologies such as the mobile digital infrastructure vehicle. This vehicle is designed to support the sensor to shooter link, crucial for operations across multiple network domains, and ensuring intelligent and diligent spectrum management. This is one of many new systems the 435th COG will look to prioritize as it shifts to its more operationally focused mission.
“By adopting this new name, the Group underscores its commitment to advancing operational capabilities and meeting the dynamic challenges of today’s security environment,” said Col. John J. Riester, 435th COG commander. “This redesignation operationalizes effective and resilient communications across all domains.”
This redesignation also signifies a broader trend within the military to adapt and evolve in response to changing warfare dynamics and technological advancements. 435th COG is set to play a crucial role in this transition, leveraging communications technologies to support and drive Air Force operations.
“The name change better aligns the group with its current mission to provide agile, resilient, and adaptable C2 to the forward edge,” said Chief Master Sgt. Chet Tonge, 435th COG senior enlisted leader. “The 435th Communications Operations Group will advance the Combined Forces Air Component Command’s operational objectives by delivering a multitude of secure communications links across multiple domains, anytime, anywhere.”
The mission of the 435th COG is to operate, extend, and defend world-class, deployable, sustainable communications and intelligence operations support at the forward edge of battle.
The COG’s new mandate underscores a strategic shift towards greater operational engagement, ensuring that communications and operational planning are not just supportive but are central to mission success. The group’s evolution from Air and Space Communications Group to Communications Operations Group represents a significant step in aligning communications expertise with the operational imperatives of modern combat scenarios, preparing the Air Force to meet future challenges with enhanced agility and effectiveness.
