SECAF makes first stop at Buckley’s backup location

Col. David Miller, Jr., 460th Space Wing commander, briefs Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, May 23, 2017, on Schriever Air Force Base, Colo. Wilson toured Schriever AFB including Buckley AFB’s backup Mission Control Station, highlighting the importance of our nation’s mission in space. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Jacob Deatherage)

Published May 30, 2017
By Airman Jacob Deatherage
460th Space Wing Public Affairs

BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Leadership from the Air Force Space Command welcomed the Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. Heather Wilson, May 23, to Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., to see the mission of the deployed Buckley AFB Airmen at their backup Mission Control Station.

Wilson’s tour of the space wing highlights her focus on the space and missile warning mission executed to provide battle space awareness to combatant commanders across the globe.

Defense spending for U.S. space programs is expected to increase, with funds going toward better protection for military satellites, said Wilson. The Air Force supports eighty percent of U.S. space operations, and the military relies heavily on satellites to gather information and coordinate movements.

The honorary visit marks the SECAF’s first official stop at a military installation, and pushes the priority of the mission in space to Buckley and its counterparts.