BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The 460th Space Wing hosted the monthly Aurora Defense Council meeting at the Leadership Development Center Nov. 17 on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo.
The gathering of community and installation leaders highlights the important relationship the base has with the surrounding community. The Aurora Defense Council allows community leaders an intimate look inside the units and personnel that operate essential missions for defense of the United States on a day to day basis. The transparency provided by these monthly gatherings facilitates relationship building between the surrounding community and Buckley AFB, which is critical for operations.
“I think there are two reasons we need to make a concerted effort of maintaining strong ties with our community: the first is that this is where our Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines from Buckley AFB live, shop, develop lifetime relationships, raise families and spend formative years,” said Col. David Miller, 460th Space Wing commander. “We need to make that investment because it matters to our people and their families.”
“The second reason is to promote understanding, as this community makes an investment in the national security of this nation every time they pay their taxes, thank a veteran, or highlight the service of an Air Force family in their community. This community is, in a way, our extended family and it is imperative they understand how much we rely on each other to succeed,” the commander added.
The Aurora Defense Council looks to support the people and the missions of the U.S. military through working with military installations as well as other industries that directly tie themselves in with the operations of the military.
“I think it is imperative for Buckley and the community to maintain a strong relationship,” said Suzanne Pitrusu, Aurora Defense Council committee chair. “Buckley has a critical mission they perform every day for the safety of our nation and with the support of a strong community we can collaborate together to preserve the mission and help the troops. In addition, Buckley families have children in our schools, shop in our businesses, work in our community and a strong partnership is the lifeline to success.”
The Aurora Defense Council meeting was hosted this month by the 460th Space Wing and gave community leaders in attendance an inside look into the missile warning mission being performed around the clock at Buckley AFB. Community leaders were given a tour of the Mission Control Station, which is where Airmen and other personnel monitor the globe for missile launch signals. This type of transparency facilitates confidence and trust between the community and the military installation.
“My leadership team in the 460th Space Wing and me personally, as the Installation Commander, have made community engagement a key line of effort in the next couple of years,” Miller said. “There are incredibly important missions going on here and incredibly resilient people serving at Buckley AFB each and every day. All of the command teams on the base meet with civic and community leaders of Aurora, and to some extent the greater Denver metro area, on a regular basis and, just as we did today when we gave those leaders unprecedented access to our 460th SW Airmen and missions, we are taking steps to make sure they are intimately familiar with what we do here at Buckley AFB so that our efforts can be mutually supporting.”
“I firmly believe that the relationship between the base and the local community is symbiotic and that we can all thrive together as long as we are sensitive to each other's needs and aspirations…that comes with engagement and a level of connectedness that I see each and every day here in Aurora,” he said.