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Now and Into The Future: Goodfellow graduates first ever enlisted intel Guardians

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tyrell Hall
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs

GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas-- Four U.S. Space Force Guardians assigned to the 315th Training Squadron graduated from the all-source intelligence analyst course and have become the first-ever enlisted intel professionals to be integrated from any course into their service Oct. 18.

The enlisted force is historically boasted as the backbone of the Air Force; this is also true for the smaller USSF. There will never be another point in U.S. history where the first enlisted intel Guardians graduate initial technical training. This occasion marks one of an uncountable number of milestones creating the structure known as the USSF.

USSF 1st Lt. Robert Freeman, 315th TRS targeting analyst course flight commander, expressed the significance the Guardians bring to the USSF as the service’s first enlisted intel personnel.

“They will set the tone, pace, and professionalism of their career field,” said Freeman. “Their individual, unique perspectives and experiences will be a benchmark from day one.” As expressed by Freeman, “their impact will be felt for decades to come.”

The Guardians were in school for a total of 110 days and completed 878 classroom hours. None of them failed throughout training and all graduated with an average above 90 percent.

Tech. Sgt. Warren Bodner, 315 TRS instructor, spoke on the impact these new intel professionals have as examples to future Guardians.

“These Guardians are the first generation that will develop standards and expectations on what we expect from All Source Intelligence within space,” said Bodner. “They will drive further development on how we train future Guardians.”

These members were among the first Basic Military Training classes of Guardians accessioned for intel. The USSF filled nearly 400 enlisted positions in fiscal year 2021 and in fiscal year 2022 will recruit over 490 enlisted Guardians. 

“To watch the future of Space Force intel cross the stage and receive their career field badge is a monumental thing,” said Freeman. “They are the future of our new force and I am proud to have the opportunity to serve with each and every one of them.”

Approximately 16 thousand military and civilian personnel were assigned to the former Air Force Space Command and are now part of the USSF. With the addition of these new Guardians, the USSF takes another step in bolstering it’s force.

According to Freeman, a significant portion of an intel Guardian’s career will be spent within Space Operations Command, which includes units at Peterson Space Force Base, Buckely AFB, Schriever SFB, Vandenberg SFB, and a handful or so of Space Force Stations across the globe.

These new intel Guardians will be assigned to the 71st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron at Schriever SFB, Colo. They will be vital to the space defense mission as they execute various roles and responsibilities with the goal of maintaining superiority in the digital battlespace.

“The space domain is becoming increasingly competitive, contested, and congested,” said Freeman. “These Specialists are not just going to be the tip of the spear, but the entire spearhead as they use their newly acquired skills to counter efforts of our adversaries across the dynamic space and cyberspace domains.”

Their job will be to oversee intelligence gathering initiatives and to manage, develop and evaluate intelligence information that is collected. They will be responsible for interpreting raw data and understanding its significance.

“We're a very small branch operating in a very new arena and we have to be smart about how we operate,” said Sp3 David Scott, 3165th TRS graduate. “Being at the ground floor, we truly have a chance to impact on how the Space Force develops in the coming decades,”

There are currently eight space operations and associated capabilities these Guardians will be tasked to support. This includes Space Electromagnetic Warfare, Spacelift Operations, Satellite Communications, ISR, Satellite Operations, Cyber Operations, Missile Warning & Defense, and Space Domain Awareness.

These capabilities support the Seven Space Power Disciplines. These are Orbital Warfare, Space Electromagnetic Warfare, Space Battle Management, Space Access and Sustainment, Military Intelligence, Engineering and Acquisitions, and Cyber Operations.

“A lot of people were interested in joining the Space Force and with only a few hundred enlisted recruits this year, I feel privileged to have been selected,” said Scott. “It feels like a huge responsibility, but we’ll do our best with the opportunity we’ve been given.”

Congratulations to Sp3 Michael Lollis, Sp3 David Scott, Sp2 Riana Goede, and Sp1 Celina Martinez, 315 TRS targeting analyst course graduates, on becoming the USSF’s first-ever enlisted intel Guardians. They will go on to found a roadmap for all future enlisted intel Guardians.

Through congressional decision, the Space Force was formed Dec. 20, 2019. It was created with the mission of developing a force that protects the U.S. and it’s allies “in, from, and to space… now and into the future."