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90th SW won best space wing, best ICBM wing honors

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Lisa Meiman
  • 90th Space Wing Public Affairs
The 90th Space Wing won two Air Force Space Command awards Thursday, naming the unit the best ICBM wing and the best space wing in the Air Force for 2006.

Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, AFSPC commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Mike Sullivan, AFSPC command chief, presented Col. Mike Carey, 90th Space Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. David Green, 90th SW command chief, the Col. Lee R. Williams award and the Gen. Thomas S. Moorman Jr. award. The presentation took place at the end of the AFSPC commanders' conference at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

"I am extremely honored to accept this award on behalf of the Mighty Ninety," Colonel Carey said. "It was the excellence and professionalism of the entire base with the support of the local community that led to this great accomplishment."

The Williams award is given annually to the best space wing with an ICBM mission. The winning unit receives a trophy that is rotated annually to the winners. Colonel Williams was one of the early participants in the strategic missile program, developing many missile plans and programs.

The Moorman award recognizes the best space wing overall. All wings in AFSPC compete for the annual award. The winning unit receives a miniature trophy that remains at Warren. General Moorman helped plan, organize and establish AFSPC in 1982. He was also the first 4-star space officer in the United States.

"Being the best takes a team effort. Every Airman, civilian employee, family member and community partner can take pride in this accomplishment because they made it happen," Chief Green said.

The 90th SW first earned the Williams award. To win the Moorman award, the 90th SW competed with the 45th Space Wing, winner of the 2006 Gen. Robert T. Herres award, presented to the best space wing with a space mission.

Units were judged on overall performance in accomplishing their mission in 2006. Mission accomplishments are valued as the most important criteria followed by meritorious achievement or service, quality initiatives and other factors such as community service and those that affect a unit's mission.

Nearly 70 percent of the 90th SW's mission accomplishments revolved around its "Outstanding" performance ratings during inspections and progressive maintenance programs, modernizing the Minuteman III ICBM using deactivated Peacekeeper parts and other innovative projects.

The 90th Operations Group also won two other AFSPC awards. The 90th Operations Support Squadron received the Col. Lowell F. McAdoo award for best operations support squadron with an ICBM mission and the 320th Missile Squadron received the Samuel C. Phillips award for best missile squadron.