SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. –
The National Space Defense Center welcomed new leadership at a change of authority ceremony at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, Sept. 6.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of Fourteenth Air Force and deputy Joint Force Space Component commander, presided over the ceremony, during which Col. Mitchell Stratton assumed command of the center from Col. Todd Brost.
“In 27 months the team here at Schriever has developed this critical and still growing capability for our nation, and cultivated the innovative Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, DoD Civilians, interagency partners and contractors who play an integral part of warfighting around the globe,” Whiting said. “You have made the NSDC a warfighting organization, and I’m proud and impressed with what you do every single day.”
Stratton joins the NSDC after serving as the director of operations, logistics and cyberspace at Fourteenth Air Force, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
“I know the operators in this room are excited about the experience that Stratton brings, the depth of his resume is impressive,” Whiting said. “All of his assignments have solidified his leadership prowess, warfighting mentality and continued passion for developing and integrating innovative space capabilities.”
“The roll of the NSDC is greatly helped by the national space defense team, including critical NSDC partners from the intelligence community, National Reconnaissance Office and U.S. Strategic Command forces, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Stratton said. “These are warfighters, cyber operators, commercial and allied partners, academia, and are all critical members of the team.”
In recognizing Brost’s efforts at the NSDC, Whiting commented on his ability to build the center from the ground up.
“In less than three years Brost has led this organization to stand shoulder to shoulder with all other warfighters of today, using the same innovative approach of our warriors past,” Whiting said.
Brost also took some time to extol the accomplishments of the NSDC as a whole.
“I want to take a minute to brag about what we have accomplished, we really did start with an empty room, built a training program, planning, exercising and got ready every day, and became the best of the best in the world,” Brost said.
The NSDC is a partnership organization supported by the Department of Defense and national intelligence community. It develops and improves the United States ability to rapidly detect, warn, characterize, attribute and defend against threats to the nation’s vital space systems.
The NSDC directly supports space defense unity of effort and expands information sharing in space defense operations among the DoD, NRO and other interagency partners.
Brost will be retiring in a separate ceremony later this month.