BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – Since Sept. 11, 2001, members of the Colorado Air National Guard’s 140th Wing in Aurora have been on alert, defending the homeland against airborne threats with a fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.
While COVID-19 has turned the nation’s normal way of life upside down, the Aerospace Control Alert (ACA) mission remains steadfast and unchanged.
“ACA is a 24/7 mission that we must execute no matter how distracting world events become,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Kurt Tongren, commander, 140th Operations Group. “America’s enemies never rest, and neither do we.”
It takes a team of professionals to support the alert mission, Tongren said. A maintenance crew, air traffic control tower operators, security forces and pilots ensure the alert mission is always ready.
To make sure the right people are on the job, the wing relies on U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Steven Richardson, alert chief enlisted manager, 140th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
“It is my responsibility to ensure that we have appropriate manning to operate a 24/7 mission and a schedule for all of our mission essential alert personnel that will maximize their abilities while also taking care of the member’s personal life and health,” Richardson said.
Because the mission requires these Airmen to be on base together, they take all possible precautions to stay healthy and keep the virus out of the ACA community.
“By far, the biggest challenge is staying isolated and separated from our coworkers while continuing to perform our daily alert tasks, to include flying practice scrambles,” Tongren said. “But the alert team is finding ways to make it work.”
Richardson developed a plan to minimize the number of people needed during each shift and altered the schedule to decrease the frequency of swap outs to lessen members’ exposure. The 140th Force Support Squadron provides four hot meals a day to alert members.
“It’s been a unique challenge coming up with ways to continue the mission and preserve the team’s health,” Richardson said. “But we have a strong plan in place, and contingency plans for all foreseeable issues that could arise.”
While the world is changing and adversaries continue to pose a threat to the United States and its allies, Richardson said, the need to defend the homeland has never been more essential.
“Everyone seems to be ready and willing to do whatever it takes to make the mission happen,” Richardson said. “They work hard every day to provide mission-ready F-16s to defend our nation should we be called upon.”
The ACA team continues to fly training missions throughout the week.
“We hope that when our communities see and hear these alert jets flying around the state, they will feel a sense of pride and solidarity knowing that even though our nation is facing a challenging time, we are still strong and we will get through this together,” Tongren said.