Team Buckley pairs with 688th IOW in Guardian Challenge Published April 6, 2010 By Senior Airman Stephen Musal 460th Space Wing Public Affairs BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- As Guardian Challenge heats up in the Front Range and other Air Force Space Command-heavy military areas, teams from traditional space wings are pairing up with their counterparts from new Cyber Command wings for the first year in the challenge's history. Team Buckley is partnered with the 688th Information Operations Wing at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, for the event. "Guardian Challenge offers an opportunity to embrace our game-changing capabilities in the 688th IOW," said Col. Robert Skinner, 688th IOW commander. "Our focus is on enabling full-spectrum cyberspace operations to our customers around the globe and we look forward to showing we're the best of the best!" "I am thrilled for Team Buckley to be paired with the 688th IOW," said Col. Clint Crosier, 460th Space Wing commander. "Our excellence in space operations partnered with their expertise on the cyber side makes this a tremendously competitive - and professional - team." The 688th IOW delivers information operations and engineering infrastructure capabilities integrated across air, space and cyberspace. The 688th IOW team comprises more than 1,200 military and civilian members skilled in the areas of engineering installation, weaponeering, operations research, intelligence, communications and computer applications. The wing was formally designated on Aug. 18, 2009, the same day 24th Air Force stood up as the Air Force's cyberspace numbered air force under AFSPC. The 688th IOW is composed of two groups: the 318th Information Operations Group at Lackland and the 38th Cyberspace Engineering Group at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. Capt. Carrie L. Kessler contributed to this story.