VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. –
Four Guardians from U.S. Space Forces - Space tackled critical challenges facing the Space Force at the third annual Guardian Field Forum, held at Joint Base Andrews, Md., from March 17-21.
The week-long event provided 59 carefully selected enlisted, officer, and civilian Guardians a platform to share feedback, propose innovative solutions, and present recommendations directly to senior leadership.
U.S. Space Force Capt. Shelton Humphrey, 2nd Lt. Lauren Leveque, 1st Lt. Samuel Turner, and Tech. Sgt. Andrea Drake represented S4S at the forum.
From an initial list of six key initiatives crowdsourced from across the Space Force, the participants collectively narrowed their focus to three crucial areas: Strengthening Joint Planning, Optimizing Talent Management for Guardian Empowerment (improving how the Space Force manages its personnel), and enhancing Guardian Heartbeat (a program designed to enable better wellness and mental health within the service).
Drake, the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of Exercises, Plans, and Training Division at the National Space Defense Center, Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, was excited to be one of the 59 Guardians selected to participate in the forum but admits she did have some reservation.
"My biggest concern was what if the ideas we come up with are already accessible and we're not aware," Drake explained. "I wanted to make sure we were doing something practical and useful and not just for the sake of doing it."
Drake was part of the team that worked on the joint planning problem set.
The joint planning problem statement highlighted a concerning gap: many Guardians lacked the joint force knowledge and experience considered essential for combat credibility. Drake, a 15-year veteran with four years in the Space Force, initially assumed her own struggles with joint planning stemmed from a personal lack of experience. The forum, however, revealed a systemic issue resonating across the service.
"I thought it was just me and my lack of exposure," Drake admitted, "but I realized it's a much broader problem."
Leveque, Space Delta 5 Combined Space Operations Center senior intelligence duty officer at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., was also a part of the joint planning team and said the forum underscored the dangers of complacency.
"The most valuable lesson I learned from GFF 25 was that 'complacency kills,'" Leveque emphasized. "The USSF is a very new branch, only five years old, and has room to address potential issues...before they affect our ability to complete the mission."
Leveque warned against relying too heavily on inherited Department of the Air Force practices.
"Being complacent, such as having organizational bias towards Department of the Air Force tools and tactics...could kill the potential of the USSF from growing as its own separate branch," Leveque explained.
Learning from other branches and adapting successful practices to the Space Force's unique mission, Leveque argued, is crucial for maintaining space superiority.
The culmination of the forum was an out brief to Space Force senior leadership, including Vice Chief of Space Operations, Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, S4S Commander and Combined Joint Force Space Component Commander, Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, and S4S Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Chief Master Sgt. Tina R. Timmerman.
General Guetlein issued on-the-spot taskings based on the Guardians' recommendations, demonstrating the immediate value of their contributions.
"It was surreal," Drake recounted. "Knowing we were directly contributing to the future of the Space Force was incredibly rewarding. I'm proud to have played a part."