Team 21 – teamwork at its best Published Feb. 16, 2010 By Col. Stephen N. Whiting 21st Space Wing commander PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- My family and I have enjoyed watching the first few days of the Vancouver Winter Olympics like millions of others around the world. From the stirring opening ceremonies, to the remarkable competition, to the pride individual competitors show as they wear their nation's uniforms, the Olympics are truly a remarkable event. And as I cheered for the American competitors as they entered the stadium during the opening ceremonies, I was struck by the fact that I only knew the names of a handful of the more than 200 American athletes. While I didn't know the name of the American Nordic Combined competitor who would go on to win a silver medal (Johnny Spillane), or the goalies for the American women's hockey team (Molly Schaus and Brianne McLaughlin), I did know one thing...they were wearing my team's uniform, Team USA, and I wanted them to succeed no matter what. Like Team USA, the 21st Space Wing is a team as well...Team 21. Team 21 is made up of more than 5,000 talented professionals from various backgrounds, representing dozens of specific skill sets and career fields, and operating all around the globe. Team 21 is composed of active duty Air Force members, government civilians, Air Force Reservists, Air National Guardsmen, Allied military personnel, and contractors. Some of these Team 21 members don't formally report to the 21st Space Wing, but they are vital team members nonetheless, and we are proud to be associated with them. And all of us are firmly dedicated to our collective vision of becoming "America's Space Superiority Wing - Globally Postured to Win." As an active duty wing, Team 21 has active duty members from the rank of airman basic to colonel, and all ranks in between. These personnel continue the proud heritage of the 21st Space Wing that has included bomber operations, fighter operations, and space operations dating back to World War II. They are responsible for installation support and security, as well as operations and medical, at our units around the world, including six of this nation's most important military facilities. Team 21 also has nearly 1,000 superb government civilians fulfilling vital functions each and every day. Civilian personnel serve as senior wing, group, and squadron leaders; they perform space operations missions; they are critical to base support and security operations; they serve in various medical fields; and they perform myriad other tasks upon which our wing continually depends. These civilian Airmen are dedicated and committed, and provide much of the continuity that keeps our processes on track despite the constant churn of military personnel coming and going. Another key part of Team 21 is the Total Force. Team 21 is fortunate to have both Reservists and Guardsmen working alongside us. Our Reservists come to us under two programs. First, the 380th Space Control Squadron is a Reserve Associate Unit to the 16th Space Control Squadron. Put simply, we could not perform our wing's unique defensive space control mission without the 380th. While the 380th's administrative chain of command flows through the 310th Space Wing at Schriever AFB, they are full team members in every sense and do a superb job both at our deployed location and here at Peterson AFB. The second program which brings Reservists to Team 21 is the Individual Mobilization Augmentee program. Team 21 IMAs serve at the highest levels within the wing front office, and are also embedded in such units as our security forces squadrons, the 21st Civil Engineer Squadron, and the 21st Operations Group, among others. The other half of our Total Force is the professionals of the Alaska Air National Guard who man the 213th Space Warning Squadron at Clear AFS, Alaska. Working alongside the active duty and civilian members of the 13th Space Warning Squadron, also at Clear AFS, the 213th provides the vast majority of the military manning to operate, support, and defend our critical missile warning and space surveillance mission at Clear AFS. Although their formal chain of command runs through the 168th Air Refueling Wing at Eielson AFB, these Guardsmen are key members of Team 21. The Allied members of Team 21 include Canadian Air Force personnel who have been working at our units for decades. Assigned to both 21st Operations Group units and the 721st Mission Support Group, these Canadian professional are seamlessly integrated into our units to perform both space operations and communications missions that ultimately support NORAD's mission of protecting North America. In addition, members of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force operate, support, and defend RAF Fylingdales in close coordination with the 21st Operations Group to provide both missile warning and space surveillance in support of the Team 21 mission. Finally, we have a Norwegian liaison officer assigned to the 21st Operations Group to help us integrate the operations of the Globus II space sensor that Norway operates in concert with Team 21. The final members of Team 21 are members of private industry who we have contracted with to perform a wide array of functions within this wing. These contractors are valued members of the team who perform tasks related to space operations, base support, airfield operations, communications, medical, engineering services, and many other jobs too numerous to name. Many of these team members serve in very difficult and austere locations, and the jobs they do for Team 21 ensure our mission success each and every day. Like Team USA in the Olympics, none of us knows the names of all these valued Team 21 members, but we do know they are on our team and are always working to ensure mission success. We couldn't do the job without each of these groups, and all are equally valued no matter what job they perform. So, thanks to all the members of Team 21...you are truly the best!