USSTRATCOM commander presents Omaha Trophy to Malmstrom AFB

MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, MT, UNITED STATES

03.30.2016

Story by Airman 1st Class Magen M. Reeves 

341st Missile Wing

U.S. Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney, USSTRATCOM commander and David G. Brown, Strategic Command Consultation Committee member, provided remarks before presenting the trophy to members of Team Malmstrom.

"For Malmstrom Air Force Base ... to receive the Omaha Trophy, it is about being able to execute mission excellence in terms of their readiness, their ability to maintain and sustain this capability and their ability to perform," said Haney. "This particular team brought about new, innovative approaches and thinking. It's the teamwork of the men and women in uniform, the families that support them as well as the community support that makes Team Malmstrom successful."

The 341st MW received the Omaha Trophy due, in part, to the achievements of Airmen from the wing and Malmstrom Air Force Base in 2015, which include winning the coveted Blanchard Trophy - awarded to the missile wing with the overall best ICBM operations, ICBM maintenance, security forces and rotary aircraft operations - during the Global Strike Challenge. The wing also won the Blackburn Trophy and the Klotz Trophy during the competition.

"I want to thank the members of Wing One and Team Malmstrom, who we could not do this without," said Col. Tom Wilcox, 341st MW commander. "You guys get the mission done every single day. You protect the nation every single day. You protect those who can't protect themselves, and you do it as a team. We only win something like this as a team. And we only succeed as a team."

While here, Haney toured a missile procedure trainer bay, visited one of Malmstrom's launch facilities and had lunch with junior enlisted Airmen. He also conducted a basewide all-hands call to discuss USSTRATCOM's mission areas and priorities.

"Ensuring that America, as well as the international community at large, understands the threats that are posed by other nations having the (nuclear) capability is why it's so important that we maintain our capability so that strategic stability is maintained," said Haney.

The Omaha Trophy, which dates back to the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command, was originally created by the Strategic Command Consultation Committee in 1971. At the time, a single trophy was presented annually as a token of appreciation to the command's best wing.

Since then, the tradition has evolved to unit-level awards that recognize USSTRATCOM's premier ICBM wing, ballistic missile submarine, strategic bomber wing and global operations (space/cyberspace) unit. This year, a new category was added to include the combatant command's top strategic aircraft wing.

Those receiving awards represent organizations throughout USSTRATCOM which are critical to fulfilling the combatant command's primary mission: to detect, deter and prevent strategic attacks against the United States and its allies.

"I am proud of Team Malmstrom ... for being able to execute this very challenging mission," Haney said. "Given the maturity of the system, it's really just an example of how our men and women in uniform, in the joint military force, and the families and communities that support them, are able to deliver for our nation's security. I really can't thank them enough."

• Date Taken: 03.30.2016
• Date Posted: 03.31.2016 15:46
• Story ID: 194003
• Location: MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, MT, US
• Hometown: OMAHA, NE, US