7th Reconnaissance Air Force Squadron Changes Command

By Capt. Jocelyn Flores/7th Reconnaissance Squadron

Lt. Col. Del Rivera gives remarks after being relieved of command of the 7th Reconnaissance Squadron at NAS Sigonella.

U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Karl Schonberg

Attendees bow their heads in prayer at the start of the 7th Reconnaissance Squadron change of command ceremony at NAS Sigonella.

U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Karl Schonberg

In the RQ-4 hangar on the Naval Air Station Sigonella flight line, the 7th Reconnaissance Squadron conducted a change of command ceremony June 14.

Lt. Col. Rolly Cooper relieved Lt. Col. Delbert Rivera as the squadron commander of the squadron’s self-proclaimed “Titans of the Med.” Col. Anthony Bellione, 69th Reconnaissance group commander, served as the keynote speaker and Chief Master Sgt. Tadd Goehring, the group chief, attended from Grand Forks, North Dakota to represent the squadron’s geographically separated unit.

The ceremony marked the end to Rivera’s command as he passed the guidon flag to Bellione, who then presented the flag to Cooper. Bellione recognized Rivera for his temperate leadership during his challenging tenure.

Rivera remarked on the squadron’s resiliency during challenging times and its progressive trajectory. While in command of the 7th RS, the squadron stood up a new armory, established an annual National Police Week, and constructed a redundant network communication system for U.S. military assets in the European Command area of responsibility.

Cooper, having spent his last two years serving as the squadron’s director of operations, did not have to move far to take command. Cooper’s aviation background extends back to his time as a senior navigator in the EC-130H. He has extensive experience in Southwest Asia, Afghanistan, and Africa, as well as peacetime operations in all six geographic combatant commands.

In his remarks, Cooper charged his 150 active duty Airmen and 50 civilians to implement the change that they want to see in the squadron, and to continue moving forward in the never-ending pursuit of excellence.

“Over the next two years, NATO and the U.S. Navy will be looking to us at the 7th RS for how to properly operate RQ-4 variants in this hemisphere,” said Cooper. “The journey will be hard and challenging, and marked with obstacles that probably shouldn’t be there. But the rewards will be worth it.”

The 7th RS plans and executes worldwide, high-altitude combat surveillance and reconnaissance missions including peacetime intelligence gathering, contingency operations and conventional warfare. Operating the RQ-4B Global Hawk Remotely Piloted Aircraft, the Titans provide signals intelligence and near real-time imagery intelligence to fulfill operational requirements generated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in support of the Secretary of Defense and unified commanders.