The squadron was first activated in January 1953 at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, moving to Europe in July.

The 7th Observation Squadron[note 1] was activated at Pope Field, North Carolina in February 1942 and assigned directly to the Office of the Chief of Air Corps.

It assumed the personnel and second-line North American RF-51D Mustangs of the 185th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, an Oklahoma Air National Guard unit that had been mobilized for the Korean War and was being returned to state control.

It trained at Shaw for tactical air reconnaissance missionsin anticipation of deployment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

In mid-1953 it was equipped with Lockheed RF-80A Shooting Star jet aircraft that had returned to the United States from use in the Korean War.

This mission had some urgency, because American military occupation forces were being withdrawn from Austria and tactical flying operations in the area would no longer be permitted.

[note 2] The squadron operated from Phalsbourg Air Base until September while improvements were made to the Laon runway.