VISION:
Train and inspire Missile Warning, Missile Defense, and Space Situational Awareness operators
LOCATION:
The 21st Operations Support Squadron, Detachment 1 (21 OSS/DET 1) is located at Beale Air Force Base, California and is a geographically separated unit of the Peterson-Schriever Garrison, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, under U.S. Space Force (USSF).
MISSION:
To develop the next generation of Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) tactical warriors.
The 21 OSS/DET 1 accomplishes UEWR Initial Qualification Training in support of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). The course prepares Airmen for the Mission Qualification Training they will receive at one of three follow-on units including: the 7th Space Warning Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, California; the 12th Space Warning Squadron, Pituffik Space Base, Greenland; and the 13th Space Warning Squadron, Clear Air Station, Alaska. Each unit plays a crucial rule in an Integrated Tactical Warning and Attack Assessment Network.
DET 1’s training curriculum provides future crew commanders and crew chiefs academic and performance based training for operating the AN/FPS-132 solid-state phased-array radar system. The system is responsible for early target detection and mid-course target tracking in support of the three missions of Missile Warning, Missile Defense, and Space Surveillance. In addition to UEWR system knowledge, the training stresses important professional development skills such as checklist discipline, situational awareness, and crew coordination.
Practical application of the academic training is accomplished by using the UEWR System Trainer, which is capable of providing coverage displays and situations as they occur in real-world scenarios.
HISTORY:
UEWR Initial Qualification Training (IQT) was originally with the 533rd Training Squadron, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California under Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The training was transfered under AFSPC with the 21st Operations Group as Detachment 4 on December 08, 2015. However, in order to better accommodate the large amount of administrative oversight/logistics required for a training unit, UEWR IQT was moved under the 21st Operations Support Squadron as Detachment 1 officially established March 01, 2016. The unit is labeled as the first tactical-level Field Training Unit in AFSPC.