Santa Barbara Anon here, keeping the eyes in the sky …

NEWS REPORT OCT 29 2020 08:01 AM BY 0 COMMENTS READS 351

Source: Vandenberg Air Force Base

An operational test launch of an Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base Thursday, Oct. 29, at 12:27 a.m. Pacific Time.

All test launches validate and verify the effectiveness, readiness and accuracy of the weapon system as they are conducted to test the entire intercontinental ballistic missile system, according to Air Force Global Strike Command.

Mr. Ron Cortopassi, 30th Space Wing executive director, was the launch decision authority.

“The ICBM test launch program demonstrates our Nation’s nuclear deterrence forces are safe, secure, effective and ready to defend the United States, and Vandenberg plays an integral part in providing the capabilities necessary to meet those test objectives,” said Cortopassi. “Even in times of global pandemic, our Airmen are able to provide the range support required to safely test an ICBM launch.”

“I appreciate the outstanding work and positive attitudes.”

Brown reiterated his dedication to Airmen development and quality of life, his priority to building leaders and commitment to retention, stating that we want quality people in our Air Force and we want them to stay.

The question and answer session included questions from the online viewers, in addition to questions from in-audience personnel. Topics such as looking at the way the Department of the Air Force does business and planning for change; the COVID-19 vaccine, modernization; Air Force and Space Force mission and roles; acquisitions, industry partners’ research and development; international collaborations and readiness, were discussed.

Continuing his visit, Brown toured the Western Range Operations Control Center and the Missile Alert Facility to see the integration between the 576th FLTS, 30th Space Wing and other units across the Air Force and how they accomplish Minuteman III ICBM and commercial launch operations on the West Coast.

Spacelift operations at Vandenberg AFB provide services, facilities and range safety control for the conduct of Department of Defense, NASA and other commercial space launches. Through the command and control of all DoD satellites, satellite operators provide force-multiplying effects, continuous global coverage, low vulnerability and autonomous operations. These satellites not only provide essential in-theater secure communications, but also weather and navigational data for ground, air and fleet operations and threat warning.

https://www.edhat.com/news/vandenberg-test-launches-unarmed-minuteman-iii

>>11347744

Space Force activates first field command

Lynn Kirby Space Force Public Affairs 7 hrs ago

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an activation ceremony at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, today, Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond established Space Operations Command, the U.S. Space Force’s first of three field commands.

Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, who promoted earlier in the day, assumed command of the new unit, which is mostly formed from the former Air Force units 14th Air Force and Air Force Space Command.

“As the primary force provider for United States Space Command, you are charged to lead space operations out of this pivot-point, to accelerate the transformation necessary to compete, deter and win a modern conflict, to prepare for war that either begins or extends into space,” Raymond said. “I’m convinced a war in space will be fought at high speeds and over great distances. We must be fast and agile, and we must focus on our primary mission, and that’s to deter that conflict from happening.”

Raymond and Whiting both talked about the decades of heritage inherited by this new organization and its role in preparing warfighters for the space domain.

“Let’s be clear: it’s the decades of faithful, dedicated, and unparalleled space operations that you, and those who have come before you, have provided which are the foundation of all our new organizations – the new armed service and combatant command alike,” Whiting said. “Our charter is to focus exclusively on generating, presenting, and sustaining combat-ready space forces – and those forces will include intelligence, cyber, space operations, and combat support elements. We are structured explicitly for the function of providing space warfighting capability.”

With the stand-up of SpOC, the Air Force unit named Space Operations Command at Vandenberg AFB, California, was redesignated as SpOC West, which retains its mission of conducting, integrating, and assessing global space operations in order to deliver combat-relevant space capabilities to combatant commanders, coalition partners, the joint force, and the nation.

“The first step in the organizational changes you are about to witness in the redesignation and assumption of command, is to recognize the inactivation of what we know today as Space Operations Command, Vandenberg AFB, the former 14th Air Force, as it transitions to Space Operations Command West,” said Col. Mark Sorapuru, the narrator for the ceremony.

During the ceremony, Maj. Gen. John Shaw, commander of the Air Force’s SpOC and Combined Forces Space Component Command, and Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivegna, command chief of the Air Force’s SpOC, furled and cased the former 14th Air Force command flag.

“This is an appropriate time to acknowledge that what we are doing is significant. It’s history in the making today,” Raymond said. “This ceremony is about you the Space Professionals who under the Air Force Space Command and 14th Air Force flags, built the world’s best national security space enterprise.”

The 14AF was established March 10, 1943, and conducted fighter and bomber operations over occupied Chinese territory in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II. It is credited with destroying more than 2300 enemy aircraft during the war. After standing down in 1960, it was reactivated as 14th Aerospace Force in 1968 to detect foreign missile launches and track objects in space. It moved to Vandenberg and joined then Air Force Space Command in 1993.

“With the creation of the United States Space Force, the 14 AF was re-designated Space Operations Command,” Sorapuru said. “Now, its colors are furled, and the illustrious aviation lineage and honors of this organization are returned to the United States Air Force.

Following the furling of the 14AF flag, Raymond and Chief Master Sgt. Roger A. Towberman, senior enlisted advisor, U.S. Space Force, took the stage to furl the Air Force Space Command flag as the last command team to lead that organization.

AFSPC was redesignated as USSF Dec. 20, 2019, when the National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law, thereby creating the new service. AFSPC was established Sept. 1, 1982, to serve as the operational command to oversee the Air Force’s efforts in space.

“Over the ensuing years, Air Force Space Command focused on consolidating and organizing space capabilities to improve operations,” said Sorapuru. “Its first major test came in 1990-1991, when the command provided space capabilities to the warfighter during Operation Desert Storm, in what many have called the First Space War.”

Etc … full article https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/military/vandenberg/space-force-activates-first-field-command/article_f8e8b7ed-1b09-5718-a73e-95955efbd5fb.html