BUCKLEY SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Buckley Space Force Base recently completed Panther View 26-03, a major combat readiness exercise conducted June 8-18, to validate mission-essential tasks and strengthen partnerships critical to installation defense.
Team Buckley partnered with several interagency organizations, including the Denver FBI, Falck EMS, Xcel Energy, 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Aurora Police Department and the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
“While all personnel accessing Buckley SFB were impacted by and engaged in PV 26-03, the exercise relied heavily on the integration of specific military units and vital interagency partners,” said Mr. Kameron Ruble, Space Base Delta 2 Director of Inspections.
The exercise challenged participants with a series of realistic scenarios, including short-notice deployments, power and water outages, drone incursions, an active shooter, a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and a suspicious chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear package.
By incorporating multiple simultaneous threats, the exercise tested the installation's ability to operate in a contested environment.
“Simulating a full spectrum of threats ensures that both tenured and new leaders, whether assigned to Buckley SFB or our partner agencies, can seamlessly synchronize and work toward a common goal during a crisis,” said Ruble. “By developing realistic, consolidated scenarios, we efficiently test how different threats naturally compound, ensuring our forces are ready for complex, multi-domain challenges.”
At the center of the exercise were the Airmen, Guardians, civilians, contractors and mission partners responsible for executing Buckley's mission. Panther View 26-03 provided participants with an opportunity to apply training in a dynamic environment, strengthening the confidence and readiness needed to respond to real-world emergencies.
The exercise also highlighted the importance of strong community relationships. Close collaboration between military, federal, state and local agencies enhances collective readiness and strengthens the ability to respond to a wide range of challenges facing the region and the nation.
“We push beyond our comfort zone and test our limits because the mission demands it, and because this installation must be ready to project power when called upon,” said Col. Eamon Murray, Space Base Delta 2 commander.
Murray emphasized that readiness extends far beyond the installation's gates and includes our families, community members and 117 mission partners who support Team Buckley every day.
“Your support enables us to train at the level needed to defend this installation and to fight, and to win, when it counts,” Murray said.
The successful completion of Panther View 26-03 demonstrated Buckley SFB's ability to defend personnel and resources while sustaining critical operations under pressure. By navigating complex scenarios alongside trusted interagency partners, SBD 2 validated its readiness to respond to emerging threats and execute its mission whenever called upon.