JSpOC wins third Omaha Trophy

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Joint Space Operations Center here received the Omaha Trophy in the Global Operations category for 2008 at a ceremony here Aug. 26.

Gen. Kevin Chilton, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, and Gary Gates, a member of the Strategic Command Consultation Committee, presented the award to Col. Richard Boltz, the 614th Air and Space Operations Center commander and director of the JSpOC.

This is the third year in a row the JSpOC was selected as a Trophy recipient. The center's display of intellectual and operation flexibility, along with boundless dedication and brilliant technical imagination in their response to almost inconceivable challenges, is what led to their win, according to the award citation. One of those challenges included their role in Operation Burnt Frost, in which a non-functioning National Reconnaissance Office satellite was successfully intercepted.

"You guys are going to be really competitive in the 2009 Omaha Trophy competition, given what I've seen you do in the last year," General Chilton said. "You touch every aspect of military operations and actually provide some of the most key capabilities that our economy runs on today. "

The Omaha Trophy is presented to U.S. Strategic Command units in four different categories: Global Operations, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, Strategic Aircraft Operations and Submarine Ballistic Missile. Selection for each of the categories is based on formal evaluations, meritorious achievement, safety, and other factors, such as community involvement and humanitarian actions. For the JSpOC team to win the award yet again is a testament to their dedication and sacrifice, said Colonel Boltz.

"At last year's ceremony, I promised that we would build upon the successes of the previous year to help us achieve the goal of becoming the premier air and space operations center," the colonel said. "I think we've taken significant steps to reach that goal. "

He made that promise again, but not in hopes of future recognition.

"It's to the commitment of the more than 150,000 deployed Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians who are depending on the information and combat capability we provide," Colonel Boltz said.

The other three Omaha Trophy award winners were the 341st Space Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. , in the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile category; the Strategic Communication Wing ONE at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. , in the Strategic Aircraft Operations category; and USS Maryland at Naval Base Kings Bay, Ga. , in the Submarine Ballistic Missile category.

The Omaha Trophy award was created by the Strategic Command Consultation Committee, which is out of Omaha, Neb. The Strategic Air Command Consultation Committee first presented the Omaha Trophy as a single trophy to the Strategic Air Command in 1971 on behalf of the citizens of Omaha. The number of awards increased over the years as the U.S. Strategic Command's missions and organizational structure changed. The four current categories reflect the command's primary lines of operations and continued emphasis on strategic deterrence and its evolving role in global operations.