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News | Feb. 28, 2018

Enlisted Corps Spotlight for March

By U.S. Strategic Command U.S. Strategic Command

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Lopes, indications and warning analyst for the intelligence directorate (J2), hails from Los Banos, California, and has served in the military for 13 years.

Q: How does your job support USSTRATCOM and our missions?

A: The J2 indications and warnings branch manages USSTRATCOM’s warning problems, facilitating strategic warning discussions with combatant commands, allies and the joint staff. We ensure that the USSTRATCOM commander is informed of threats in a timely manner so he can provide effective recommendations to national leaders.  

Q: What do you find most rewarding about your work at USSTRATCOM?

A: USSTRATCOM is filled with employees from many walks of life; Air Force, Navy, Army, Marines Corps, civilians and contractor employees all have different life experiences. This wide range of experiences has given me the opportunity to grow as an intelligence analyst, as well as an individual.

Q: What has been a challenge for you regarding your work at USSTRATCOM and how have you overcome that challenge?

A: At times I faced challenges with communicating in a heavily-integrated joint environment because each service speaks a different language. I have worked to overcome this challenge by taking more time to listen and learn about the other services’ cultures so that I can better understand where they’re coming from on a particular issue.

Q: What has been your most memorable experience in the military?

A: My deployments are experiences that helped shape the way I view my job and daily duties; they are some of the most memorable moments of my career. They were tactical in nature and atypical U.S. Air Force deployments, but taught me about the importance of analytical integrity and how to communicate with senior leaders on topics that others find difficult to approach.

Q: What is the one piece of information or advice about working at USSTRATCOM that you'd pass on to new members of the USSTRATCOM team?

A: Try to keep an open mind and positive outlook coming into the command. USSTRATCOM is a great place to work, you can learn a lot from this assignment and receive a unique perspective working in this environment.