Photo By Tech. Sgt. Luke Kitterman | Space Delta 15's "NOTSO COMMON" team - U.S. Space Force Master Sgt. Benjamin Shuck,...... read more read more
U.S. Space Forces–Space will send three teams to compete in the service’s premier competition event, Guardian Arena III, on Dec. 8–9, 2025, at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida. Competitors from S4S Headquarters, Space Delta 5, and Space Delta 15 earned their spots during regional qualifiers and will join 35 teams of three from across the Space Force vying to be named the most elite Guardian team in the USSF.
Guardian Arena is a service-level event that tests competitors’ “Guardian Spirit” through physical endurance, mental agility, and operational expertise. For S4S-CJFSC athletes, it represents more than a fitness challenge - it reflects the operational stamina required to protect the Joint Warfighter and defend the space domain.
Team S4S Headquarters: The Flying Tigers
The S4S Headquarters team - U.S. Navy Cmdr. Nathan Winters, U.S. Space Force Maj. Jordan Cruz, and Capt. Patrick Maloney, competing as the Flying Tigers - bring a shared focus to representing the command on the Space Force’s biggest competitive stage.
“Representing S4S is about pride, responsibility, camaraderie, and setting the physical fitness bar for being a Guardian,” said Cruz, S4S’s chief of capabilities and integration.
Maloney, who works in the commander’s action group, led the effort to reestablish a team after S4S did not compete last year. “We have smart and athletic teammates across the staff,” he said. “I wanted to help form a team so more members of S4S could compete at this high-profile, force wide event.” He added that fielding a team was also about visibility and culture: “This event showcases what it means to be a Guardian. S4S needed to be there.”
Winters, S4S’s chief of current operations, said the daily decision-making tempo at headquarters has shaped their readiness. “Every day at S4S, we’re synthesizing information, making decisions under pressure, and adapting to changing circumstances,” he said. “That translates directly to what we’ll face in the arena.”
Approaching retirement next year, Winters views the event as a meaningful milestone. “This will be my last temporary duty assignment in the military,” he said. “I want to finish strong and on a high note. The daily effort to improve matters more than any finish line.”
Cruz said their preparation blended early-morning workouts, lunchtime doctrine review, cognitive drills, and studying past competitions. “Guardian Arena isn’t just a fitness test - it’s a test of how you think under pressure and communicate when you’re exhausted,” he said. Communication and trust, he added, remain their greatest strengths.
Maloney agreed. “We know how each other thinks and how to lean on each other’s strengths,” he said. “That operational trust becomes competitive trust.”
“Watch out,” Cruz added with a smile. “The Flying Tigers are on the hunt.”
Team Space Delta 5: The CSpOC-alypse
The DEL 5 team - U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Edward Ramirez, Capt. Quinton Vandenberghe, and Capt. Brian Waschak, competing as the CSpOC-alypse - brings experience forged within the Combined Space Operations Center’s high-tempo environment.
Responsible for global space command and control, DEL 5 executes real-time decision-making and effects synchronization, skills central to Guardian Arena.
Vandenberghe, CSpOC’s fires division chief, said he is most looking forward to reconnecting with fellow Guardians. “I’m excited to see old friends from other units and compete alongside them,” he said.
Waschak, who leads CSpOC’s assessments and training division, echoed that sentiment. “This is a great opportunity to get together with like-minded Guardians who seek to push themselves physically and mentally,” he said.
Ramirez, CSpOC’s chief of current operations and one of only five lieutenant colonels competing, said he looks forward to experiencing the Space Coast firsthand. “I’ve never been to the Eastern Test Range,” he said. “I hope the other older guys and I step up and show the younglings how it’s done.”
Training around shift schedules required creativity. “We’ve adjusted workouts to be more CrossFit-like,” Vandenberghe said. “We’ve also been sharing lessons from the study guide and discussing strengths and weaknesses.”
Waschak said they’ve built consistency where possible. “We’ve been testing new lifts and exercises and building where we can,” he said.
Ramirez added humor to the team’s preparation. “We watched Cobra Kai while doing montage-style workouts to 1980s music,” he said. “The CSpOC-alypse will beat the competition using the Cobra Kai philosophy: ‘Strike first, strike hard, no mercy.’”
Team Space Delta 15: NOTSO COMMON
The DEL 15 team - U.S. Space Force Master Sgt. Benjamin Shuck, Specialist 4 William McLaughlin, and Specialist 3 Jesse Coppedge, competing as NOTSO COMMON - brings cyber expertise, intelligence analysis, and operational readiness honed at the National Space Defense Center and Combat Delta 1–15.
These Guardians represent DEL 15’s technical depth and disciplined approach to defending national space assets.
McLaughlin, a target analyst, said he is eager to compete along Florida’s historic Space Coast. “Being around facilities tied to the space race, the National Security Space Launch program, and commercial launch will be surreal,” he said. “It’s a crazy feeling being there.” He added that teamwork came naturally: “We have a tight family at the NSDC and CDEL 1–15.”
Coppedge, a cyber intelligence analyst, said he is grateful for the opportunity to represent the Delta. “I look forward to the privilege of competing on behalf of our unit,” he said. “We’ve worked together to prepare both our bodies and minds.”
Shuck, a cyber crew chief, said he values both the challenge and camaraderie of the event. “It’s a rare opportunity to test our physical and mental prowess against Guardians we don’t usually encounter,” he said. “The cherry on top is doing it in a place saturated with space history and leaving our own mark.”
He added that NSDC’s culture gives them an advantage. “The NSDC is already a tight-knit group fluent in camaraderie,” he said. “Rising to meet challenges is what the NSDC does every single day.”
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.05.2025 19:36 |
| Story ID: | 553216 |
| Location: | VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
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