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312th TRS - Special Instruments Training Flight [312th TRS - SPINSTRA]

The Special Instruments Training Flight is part of the 312th Training Squadron. SPINSTRA is tasked with providing mission-ready graduates to AFTAC and other major commands, along with facilitating AFTAC's Subsurface Alternate Headquarters Subsystem which is used to monitor international nuclear treaties. SPINSTRA has the distinction of being one of only two training units on Goodfellow AFB supporting an operational mission.

SPINSTRA is tasked with providing mission-ready graduates to the Department of Defense along with facilitating the Air Force Technical Application Center's Deployed Operations Center and the Subsurface Alternate Headquarters Subsystem, both in support of international nuclear treaties.

The SPINSTRA Flight is responsible for development and administration of 13 resident courses and 1 nonresident Job Knowledge Development Course. The FY01 trained personnel requirement (TPR) for all courses is 268 students.

On September 16, 1947, General Dwight Eisenhower directed the responsibility for a new mission - detecting nuclear explosions anywhere in the world - be assigned to the Army Air Forces. With the creation of the US Air Force two days later, Long Range Detection was included among the first missions of the new service. Consequently, The Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) was born. Soon, a multitude of unique detection equipment was constructed and by 1954, the need for a dedicated AFTAC training unit was evident. So in June, Special Instruments Training (SPINSTRA) was created to handle the extraordinary training.

SPINSTRA starts with airmen and NCOs who achieve the highest scores on the Air Force Vocational Aptitude Test. After spending 12 weeks learning fundamental electronics, students master a core of essential knowledge including nuclear physics, mathematics, data automation, computer programming, operation and maintenance of specialized electronic equipment, system administration, and sensor data analysis along with several additional scientific courses. The squadron also provides advanced training to selected personnel from all U.S. military services and certain foreign nationals.

Graduates of SPINSTRA's courses are awarded the Reporting Identifier 9S100, Technical Applications Specialist and operate and maintain seismic, hydroacoustic, satellite, or other specialized equipment. They can be found working on all seven continents of the globe.

The SPINSTRA team is comprised of a commander, superintendent, secretary, four training developers, two non-resident course developers, five maintenance and operations technicians, and fourteen instructors.