Space Force

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – The U.S. Army Reserve’s 2500th Digital Liaison Detachment, 7th Mission Support Command, participated in Exercise Avenger Triad 2024 in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Sept. 10-19, 2024.

“For Avenger Triad 2024 the 2500th DLD, in conjunction with a team from the 44th Expeditionary Signal Battalion-Enhanced from Baumholder, provided interoperability support to our NATO partners, the 1st German Netherlands Corps,” said Col. Tamara Kurey, commander of the 2500th DLD. “We ensured that they can digitally receive and transmit information that is needed to synchronize war fighting functions across the exercise battle space.”

The 2500th DLD is the only unit underneath the 7th Mission Support Command stationed in Italy, and they provided 11 Soldiers to support the exercise in Grafenwoehr, Germany.

Exercise Avenger Triad 24 is a computer-assisted command-post exercise designed to demonstrate U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s ability to exercise mission command of U.S. and NATO forces while also employing the Army’s Continuous Transformation capabilities. This was the first time USAREUR-AF exercised its ability to lead one U.S. and five NATO Corps during simulated large-scale combat operations.

“We had some interoperability issues come up,” Kurey said. “Our team has been quick to reconfigure the system or collaborate with our sister DLDs, the 7th Army Training Command, or other resources here in Grafenwoehr to troubleshoot and to solve those problems. That has brought into focus the technical skills that the Soldiers and officers have, and our NATO partners have recognized that.”

Avenger Triad 24’s aim was to increase readiness, enhance interoperability, employ new concepts and inform regional planning to identify gaps in staff processes and capabilities. The exercise involved approximately 2,000 participants from the U.S., and 2,000 multinational participants from Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain.

Exercises like Avenger Triad 24 are part of a long-term multinational training effort to maintain readiness and integrations between NATO Allies in the Euro-Atlantic region while modernizing cutting-edge technologies, concepts and formations in a simulated environment.

The 7th Mission Support Command is the U.S. Army Reserve presence in Europe. Comprised of 26 units across Germany and Italy, the 7th MSC provides logistical and sustainment resources in support of U.S. Army Europe-Africa missions across the theater. For more stories and information on the America’s Army Reserve in Europe, connect on Facebook @7thmsc.

BUSAN, South Korea (Sept. 6, 2024) – During USS America’s (LHA 6) first time visiting South Korea, America’s Chief’s Mess and new chief’s in the making engaged in a community relations project (COMREL) as part of the ship’s Chief Season, Sept. 6., 2024. Immediately following liberty call, six chief petty officers and 15 chief selects scoured the piers and roads of Busan Naval Base to collect all the trash they could find as part of a base clean-up initiative.

“Every time we go into port during Chief Season, we do a COMREL event of some sort, and this is how we’re giving back to this area and this base,” said Chief Master-at-Arms John Melendez.

America’s selectees became closely acquainted with the base as they collected debris for almost two hours, while engaging with their Chiefs through a combination of both work and recreation. Their session served to improve the outdoor spaces and to nurture the value of community service in the upcoming generation of leaders.

“This event is actually remarkable. It gives us time to decompress and have a good time. I think it’s a good opportunity for us to come together as a mess and help out the base,” said Chief Personnel Specialist (Sel) Alex Timothy Reyes.

The chief initiation process is essential, as selectees have only a few weeks to prepare to assume one of the most difficult jobs the Navy has to offer. Chief season events provide invaluable training to deck plate leadership, institutional and technical expertise, professionalism loyalty active communication, a sense of heritage and the practicing of the warrior toughness mindset.

“Community events, such as this beach cleanup are an opportunity to work together as we give back, in service of each other and the larger population. The USS America’s Chief’s Mess and Chief’s Selectees took extreme pride in assisting to beautify the coast here in Busan,” said CMDCM McQueen, USS America Command Master Chief.

Commander, Naval Forces Korea (CNFK), located on Busan Naval Base, is the U.S. Navy’s representative in South Korea, providing leadership and expertise in naval matters to improve institutional and operational effectiveness between the two navies and to strengthen collective interoperability in Korea and the region.

America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – At this week’s annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference, sponsored by the Air and Space Forces Association, the command responsible for training and readiness in the U.S. Space Force emphasized Guardian development, connection, and family readiness across three key panel discussions.

Brig. Gen. Matthew Cantore, deputy commander of Space Training and Readiness Command, discussed the importance of developing a skilled, adaptable workforce for the U.S. Space Force, highlighting the integration of officers, enlisted, and civilians into a cohesive Guardian family. One important start to this new initiative is the beginning of the Space Force’s Officer Training Course, which commenced training earlier this month at Peterson Space Force Base.

“We are in the midst of a new start,” said Cantore, about the new course for all new Space Force Officers. “Previously, we would have had separate tracks for space operations, intelligence operations, and cyber operations. Now, as we go forward, we realize that for great power competition, we want to re-baseline and reset what the experience is for all Guardian officers moving forward. As we look to the future and work to establish our culture, we want to have a culture where operations and warfighting is at the core of everything we do.”

Chief Master Sgt. Karmann-Monique Pogue, senior enlisted leader for STARCOM, joined Cantore on the panel and noted that as the enlisted corps grows in rank, responsibilities shift, necessitating a balance between the roles of technical specialists with the roles of leadership and advising senior leaders. Pogue cited the start of Space Force-specific Enlisted Professional Military Education earlier this year at the Vosler Academy at Peterson Space Force Base as another key to the transformation of the Force.

“We have reshaped the experience for our enlisted NCOs and senior NCOs,” said Pogue. “Vosler stood down for about five months to reshape the curriculum, the training, and the experience that our enlisted Guardians are going to be challenged with. We have to better prepare our enlisted force to not only be technically competent, but to be operationally and strategically relevant as well.”

Cantore and Pogue said that more would be rolled out in the coming months regarding initiatives for civilians and junior enlisted Guardians.

Col. Charlie Norsky, commander of STARCOM’s Space Delta 1, told a separate panel audience focused on family readiness for great power competition that integrating Guardian families goes beyond just understanding the Space Force or unit mission.

“Family readiness is mission readiness,” said Col. Norsky. “We can’t do what we do on the mission side without making sure that we have our families not just on board or understanding, but truly as part of the team.”

Norsky elaborated on closer integration of families within units, taking steps to develop a local initiative that further develops family members.

“We want to formalize this so it’s not just pointing a family member or spouse toward a resource and say ‘go over there for this information,’” said Col. Norsky. “It’s… come over here, let’s talk about this, let’s work through this together, let us grow. And so this spouse development initiative is something that I think we’re really excited about being able to roll out.”

Jessica Norsky, Key Support Liaison Mentor for STARCOM’s Delta 1, said that a service tradition that epitomizes the culture of connection is a family pinning ceremony during Basic Military Training graduation at a third panel discussing United Forces and Families: Shaping the Guardian Experience.

“They say the little things don’t mean anything. They mean everything,” said Norsky. “We start by acknowledging the fact that family support has been crucial to get their service member to this point, and that they will continue to play a role.

The pin may appear to be a small gesture, but it represents the ongoing building of the service’s culture and connection.

“It’s a wonderful thing,” said Norsky. “We all have this invitation to inspire real change and to create this Guardian experience. We look at how we combine service members, spouses, and community partners into working together to do this good, to benefit all of our service.”

Building a Guardian culture was one point stressed by all STARCOM leaders throughout the three separate panels.

“The folks that are coming in today are going to be the squadron commanders in 15 years, they are going to be the SELs of our combat detachments and our combat squadrons that will be warfighting in 15 years. Our civilians now that come in will be the senior future SES or NH force of the service, leading and directing activities for the service,” said Cantore. “Every member of the Space Force is going to be a warfighter first.”

Training for any new Airmen is essential when they head to their first duty station, but for firefighters – as first responders who will be saving lives – that training is even more vital. Following what is known as the “Rookie Book,” their initial training generally takes up to four months before they can then begin their upgrade training. The Royal Air Force Mildenhall Fire Department has now created their own “Rookie Academy,” and slashed that training time to three weeks.

Building from an idea from Staff Sgt. Connor Nance, 100th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department assistant chief of training, the Rookie Academy provides the recruits with intense and consistent training for three weeks.

“The idea behind it was that we wanted to get our brand-new Airmen, who are straight out of the fire academy, through the ‘Rookie book’ – which consists of 220 line-items – in an effective way where we’re trying to maintain continuity and training, and introduce them to the department as a whole.”

The biggest issue found in the past was continuity. In the past, rookies arrived at the station and were assigned trainers, who then taught them completely different ways of how to do the job. The Rookie Academy mitigates challenges faced in the fire department.

“Everything we take from tech school is ‘bare bones’ then we build on that,” said the assistant chief of training. “One firefighter will show a rookie how to pull a hose or throw a ladder differently from another firefighter, and we found that to be a big problem when incidents happened, When the new trainees had to respond, and people were, for example, pulling the hoses differently, it was starting to make a disorganized mess on our calls.”

The intense program includes basic firefighting skills, structural fires, hazardous materials and decontamination training, writing assignments, and oral boards consisting of a panel of three fire officers.

“With the Rookie Academy, they all get the exact same training when they first arrive here, and they’re being taught by the department as a whole,” he said. “It keeps consistency in training, which is what we’re trying to work on. It’s shown to be really effective already. Our main purpose was to enhance that quality and consistency of training, ensuring all our new firefighters are prepared and capable, ready to ride fire trucks and respond to emergencies and help the community.”

The four-month program, which the Air Force fire house adopted, has been shortened to three weeks, enabling the new firefighters to get a jump start on their upgrade training, while also maintaining the quality of training.

“I took all of our line items and condensed them into a schedule; every day is planned and every day the Airmen know what’s coming,” Nance remarked. “Originally working that training into their shifts was what took a long time, but when I realized I could take them and dedicate them solely to being in a Rookie Book Academy over a three-week period, I figured that would be the quickest and most effective way as their mindset going into it would be purely training and being a rookie learning their job.”

Before each new cycle of Rookie Academy begins, Nance recruits from the fire department for a training cadre to lead the course.

“The leads for each day are responsible for planning that specific day. I give them a lesson plan of all the benchmarks they need to hit ahead of time, then they build their day how they want, assisted by personnel who are on shift. That’s really nice because it allows our shift firefighters to get really familiar with our rookies before they ever start on shift. It also means they already know the rookies’ work ethic, strengths and weaknesses before they ever start riding in the truck with them, so then they aren’t figuring it out on calls.

“One of the things we want to hit with them really early in their career is that training mindset and how important it is, so getting them where this is their sole job, Monday to Friday, has really helped with that,” said Nance. “They start their days with physical training sessions for 45 minutes, then shower, have breakfast and meet in the classroom for the day.”

The Rookie Academy is designed to be very progressive, starting off very simple and making them more comfortable in their protective gear as the Airmen go on. The rookies receive 80 percent hands-on training, and 20 percent in the classroom.

“With the high number of new firefighters coming to RAF Mildenhall, I needed to build the most effective way to get these guys through the Rookie Academy with a high-quality level of training while maintaining that consistency of training across the board,” said the assistant chief of training. “We can now confidently say that all of our rookies have been taught the same way to pull hoses and throw ladders. That’s really important, as now our crew chiefs know what to expect when it comes to who’s sitting behind them on that fire truck.”

The RAF Mildenhall Rookie Academy concludes with live fire training on a mock aircraft trainer, before the rookies’ final evaluation and mock board with three fire officers on the panel.

“It was a lot, but I think it really helped because it gave me more time to do my [career development courses] afterwards,” said Airman 1st Class Jeremiah Crawley, 100th CES Fire Department firefighter.

Crawley is one of eight rookies to graduate from the station’s first Rookie Academy.

“There were certain parts that were more physically demanding than what we did at the fire academy, but overall having someone there for the purpose of teaching you, rather than being given a book and you have to ask what to do, is a lot better,” remarked Crawley. “I particularly liked learning about tying different knots, whether to tie stuff off, or lifting equipment onto the roof of a building. I feel this intense training has been very beneficial; instead of drawing it out, doing a lot in a short space of time really makes you appreciate the certificate when they hand it to you. You can say ‘I did it!’ I’m looking forward to now being able to expand on that knowledge.”

The RAF Mildenhall Fire Department Rookie Academy’s innovative approach to training and development is proving to be a game-changer. By embedding a Ready Culture and sparking innovation, the Rookie Academy is preparing its newest firefighters to meet the demands of the modern fire service with confidence and skill. Through a focus on continuous learning, collaboration, and adaptability, the program is cultivating a new generation of proactive problem-solvers and leaders in the field. As the fire service continues to evolve, the RAF Mildenhall Fire Department is well-positioned to lead the way, thanks to its commitment to innovation and excellence.

By Airman 1st Class Janae Whaley, 9th Security Forces Squadron

My story begins in North Charleston, South Carolina, long before I put on a military uniform. After high school, I attended Coker University for two years, immersing myself in the world of college athletics as a Division 2 basketball player. My time on the court taught me the value of teamwork, discipline, and perseverance; qualities that would serve me well in the future.

After two years at Coker University, I felt a pull toward something different—a desire to change my surroundings and explore new opportunities. This led me to join the military in October 2023. This decision was fueled by a mix of yearning for adventure and a strategic approach to setting up my future. I wanted to join because I felt like it would be the perfect opportunity for me to set myself up in life. The military, with its structured environment and myriad opportunities, was the change and challenge I was seeking.

I became a security forces Airman, and when I got stationed at Beale Air Force Base, I worked toward a specific goal: joining the Tactical Response Team (TRT). My interest in TRT was sparked by my passion for challenges and a desire to be part of something larger than myself. I admired how the team operated with precision and unity, and I was determined to be a part of that.

Preparation for the TRT selection process was intense and demanding, requiring me to push my limits physically and mentally. I dedicated myself to rigorous training, hitting the gym multiple times a week to ensure I was in peak condition. I knew I had to be consistent and strength train heavily in order to keep up with the males. Each week I would set personal goals to measure my progress and stay motivated. My commitment was unwavering; I knew that consistency and hard work were key to succeeding in such a demanding environment.

When the time came for selection, I felt prepared for the challenge. I approached it with a mindset of resilience and determination, fully aware of the difficulties ahead, but resolute to not give up. There was a physical test portion, a firearm shooting portion, as well as a whole day of completing various tasks and duties without sleep. This was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. My determination paid off, proving that with the right mindset and preparation, any obstacle can be overcome.

Becoming the first woman to join the Tactical Response Team (TRT) was a deeply empowering experience. It was both humbling and exhilarating to break new ground in a space that had traditionally been dominated by men. I felt a sense of pride in not only achieving a personal goal, but also paving the way for other women to take on challenging roles in the military.

I felt a strong sense of responsibility. I knew that being the first came with expectations to perform at the highest level and to represent other women who might follow in my footsteps. This pushed me to work even harder and to uphold the standards of the team. It was a mix of pride, determination, and an unwavering commitment to excel.

Overall, becoming the first woman on TRT made me realize the importance of perseverance and believing in oneself. It showed me that barriers are meant to be broken and that with the right mindset and preparation, anything is possible. It was a powerful reminder that every step forward not only changes your life, but can also inspire and open doors for others.