Originally published Space Force Unit that Tracked Iranian Missiles Earns New Honor on by https://globalsecurityreview.com/decoding-the-language-of-precision-warfare/ at Global Security Review
Space Force Unit that Tracked Iranian Missiles Earns New Honor
By: Matthew Cox for A&S Forces
The Guardians of the 11th Space Warning Squadron were honored as the top U.S. Space Force unit for 2024 for their role in thwarting Iranian missile barrages last year.
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies selected the 11th SWS for the first-ever General Atomics Space Force Unit of the Year largely for unit’s the precise early warning of incoming missiles, which helped Air Force fighter pilots thousands of miles away launch to destroy hundreds of incoming Iranian missiles aimed at Israel in April and October of 2024. The new award follows the Mitchell Institute’s annual General Atomics Remotely Piloted Aircraft Squadron of the Year award and seeks to recognize the achievements of Space Force units that often operate in the shadows from bases in the U.S. to deliver critical capabilities to front line warfighters.
When Iran began to launch missiles on April 13, alarms were set off at the 11th SWS and 2nd SWS operation centers. Just one missile will trigger an alarm that sounds “ding, ding, ding,” and before the attack was over, those alarms rang out 300 times. Crews of a half dozen Guardians scurried to track each missile, verify the data, and pass it along as quickly as possible. Capt. Abigail Flanner, weapons officer for the 11th, recalled how her teammates worked under extreme pressure in a recent episode of the Mitchell Institute’s Aerospace Advantage podcast.
Originally published Space Force Unit that Tracked Iranian Missiles Earns New Honor on by https://globalsecurityreview.com/decoding-the-language-of-precision-warfare/ at Global Security Review
Originally published Global Security Review
