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PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. –
Since the founding of the U.S. Space Force in 2019, the launch tempo and strategic importance of PSFB and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station have steadily increased with each year.
While just 18 launches were supported in 2019 from the Eastern Range, Space Launch Delta 45 is currently projected to support 107 launches in 2025.
With the expanding mission set at PSFB and CCSFS comes an increased need for updated base security infrastructure and procedures.
PSFB has been undergoing recent security renovations in response to the changing environment and mission requirements of the installation.
A driving factor in these changes has been the SLD 45 Integrated Defense Council and the SLD 45 Anti-Terrorism Executive Council, who are charged with annual reviews of the base’s physical security and how to best upgrade them.
“We want to bring the base up to full compliance with the Antiterrorism and Force Protection rules, which are the unified facilities criteria that we follow as engineers when setting a security baseline”, said Robert Parmenter, 45th Civil Engineer Squadron program management chief. “Our security engineers are put through classes that are led by the Army Corps of Engineers, and they take them through all of the criteria that standardize the DoD’s defensive posture and how to build to the threat that your installation faces.”
Between the repeal of the Trusted Traveler Program by USNORTHCOM on Jan. 3, 2025, resulting in 100% I.D. checks at base entry points, and the reduced traffic flow due to construction at the PSFB South Gate, it is easy to see how the local community might feel inconvenienced. However, due to the nature of PSFB and CCSFS comprising the world’s busiest spaceport, these changes are not without cause.
Construction on a project to update and overhaul the South Gate began in late January of 2025. The updates will provide needed security upgrades to the entry point and are scheduled to be completed in mid-2026.
Completely closing the South Gate during construction and relying solely upon the PSFB Main Gate for base entry and exit would have resulted in the quickest construction timeline for the upgrades being made to the South Gate. However, it was instead decided to prioritize the convenience of those who utilize the facilities at the southern end of the base and leave the South Gate open during construction.
“We extended the project timeline significantly by leaving one outbound and one inbound lane open,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Jonathan Huffman, 45th CES director of operations. “We would appreciate patience and understanding from the outside populace as we continue construction that ensures that we are protecting both our mission and our personnel.”
The updates will further bolster base security by adding new features to the entry point.
“We spent a lot of time and thought as to how to make the updates to the South Gate as minimally invasive to people's lives as possible,” said Huffman. “We understand that the 125,000 local retirees and their family members use that gate to go to the commissary, the Base Exchange, and the pharmacy, but we also need to make sure that we are securing the installation appropriately.”
The recommendations for these physical security updates are the result of an analytical process based on known perceptions of adversarial tactics and objectives, and recent events have underscored the importance of maintaining an increased security presence at the base.
One such event occurred in early January 2025, when a suspect drove to the PSFB Main Gate and informed the Security Forces Airmen working the entry point that they had explosives in their vehicle. The 45th Security Forces Squadron’s K9 unit confirmed the possibility of an explosive and the 45th CES’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight was called into action.
“We worked with the incident command team to adjust safety cordons and worked with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office to shut down State Road A1A, as it was within the potential hazard zone,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. William Riddle, 45th CES EOD flight chief. “During that time, my team began getting equipment ready while I interviewed the suspect with the help of BCSO’s Bomb Squad commander.”
After the interview, it was decided that the safest approach would be to utilize robotic capabilities in order to further investigate the vehicle. Robotic platforms from both the 45th EOD Flight and the BCSO were able to gain access to the vehicle remotely.
“Once all remote means were exhausted, it was time to do a more thorough and ‘hands-on’ search while wearing the bomb suit,” said Riddle. “Myself and my safety backup, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jordan Haynes, proceeded to search the vehicle manually, X-Ray any items that were closed, and were able to determine that the vehicle did not present any explosive threat to the installation.”
Due to the timing of this occurring within two weeks of the destructive incidents in both Las Vegas and New Orleans on New Year’s Day, 2025, which heightened the security climate around the country, this occurrence at the main gate of a military installation was responded to with extra caution.
SLD 45 members train consistently to ensure the safety of both PSFB and CCSFS.
“Our EOD training program does an excellent job of instilling threat assessment into our team leaders minds, which helps us make the best and safest decisions possible,” said Riddle. “It is the constant thought of all the possible outcomes that we train for every single day that was able to make this call run so successfully.”
PSFB and CCSFS have been conducting extensive training exercises in order to ensure member’s readiness and enable them to practice tactical responses to critical security scenarios. A recent exercise, Guardian Shield, included scenarios occurring at both installations simultaneously.
The first scenario involved a suspicious package being found at CCSFS. The second scenario involved a suspect attempting to gain access to PSFB and damage the installation.
“Exercises like these provide our members with invaluable hands-on experience, enhancing their confidence and proficiency in tactical responses,” said U.S. Space Force Maj. Brian Frausto, SLD 45 Inspector General chief of exercises. “This ensures they are fully prepared to act decisively and effectively in real-world emergency situations.”
Between the robust exercise tempo and physical security updates, SLD 45 will continue to protect and ensure the resilience of mission capabilities and assets critical to the performance of mission-essential functions at the world’s premier gateway to space.
| Date Taken: | 04.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2025 16:19 |
| Story ID: | 496361 |
| Location: | PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE , FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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