460th Space Wing competing in Guardian Challenge 2010

Published April 5, 2010
By Maj. Kristin Haley
140th Wing, Colorado Air National Guard Public Affairs

Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. -- Two space and missile officers from the 137th Space Warning Squadron, Greeley Air National Guard Station, were selected to represent the 460th Space Wing in this year's Guardian Challenge. They will compete against both the 21st Space Wing at Peterson Air Force Base and 50th Space Wing at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado.

The Guardsmen will also defend the title of "Best Space Ops Crew" that Team Buckley took home last competition.

Guardian Challenge, which occurs every two years, is the world's premier space and cyberspace competition that improves readiness, combat capabilities and methodology through preparation, innovation, competition and crosstalk.

The competition pits the command's several space wings against each other to see who is the "best of the best" in areas of expertise, including security forces, communications, missile combat or satellite operations.

"The warriors chosen to compete in Guardian Challenge represent the best Air Force Space Command has to offer, said Col. Skip Johnson, 137th Space Warning Squadron Commander. "However, this is really more than just a competition. It's an invaluable way to make us better and increase individual and command capabilities to perform our mission and improve our skill sets."

Major Jarrod Moseley and Capt. Stephanie Myers have teamed up to represent both the 137th SWS and the 460th Space Wing. "We're definitely going to represent the 460th well," said Captain Myers. "This is a huge deal for us. We've trained very aggressively for this and we expect our training to carry us through," she added.

The two teammates will be given a 90-minute mobile missile warning scenario where they will have to process information very quickly. "We expect to have a number of external threats coming at us at once and we will definitely be hopping, but we're going to do our best and get the required information to our end users," said Major Moseley.

"We expect nothing but the best from them. We train as we would fight," said Colonel Johnson.

The 137th SWS will also be providing four security forces members to team up with 460th Security Forces Squadron members and compete in the security forces category, which composes one-third of the total score. The events will include a fitness run/station challenge, combat marksmanship course and a high-risk entry evaluation.

Guardian Challenge traces its lineage to Strategic Air Command's Missile Combat Competition, which was first held in 1967 and officially nicknamed "Curtain Raiser." The competition was initially limited to two combat crews, combat targeting competitors and alignment competitors from each wing.

In 1969, the competition was renamed "Olympic Arena," the name most prominently used over the next 24 years. During this period, Olympic Arena grew in scope to include missile maintenance, civil engineering, security forces and communication competitors. When the Air Force's ICBM forces moved from SAC to Air Combat Command in 1993, the torch of the competition also was passed. ACC officials held the Missile Combat Competition only once, in April of 1993.

AFSPC continues the legacy established by SAC and ACC, but at the same time has taken the competition in new directions.

The first Guardian Challenge competition was held in 1994 and involved AFSPC units from all over the world, including Canada and Australia and representatives from the United States Navy. Members from each squadron competed in the disciplines of space operations, missile operations, missile maintenance and space and missile communications. Teams from nine wings and one center, including newly added Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units, will be a part of GC 2010 competition events.

The Guardian Challenge Awards Ceremony will be in May and trophies will be awarded to the best wing operations crew, space communications and security forces teams. The Aldridge Trophy will be presented to the best space operations wing; the Schriever Trophy will be awarded to the best spacelift wing; the King trophy will go to the best acquisitions wing; The Etchberger Trophy will be presented to the best combat communications team; and the Polifka Trophy will be awarded to the best cyber forces team.