BOISE, Idaho - Capt. Megan Mabey has flown over 20 times between Idaho and Texas to balance her duties with the Idaho National Guard and her role as a security specialist at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston. During her most recent trip to Idaho, Mabey took command of D Company, 116th Brigade Engineer Battalion, Dec. 6 at Gowen Field.
Mabey deployed to Southwest Asia with the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team to support Operation Spartan Shield in 2022. The deployment enabled her to gain real-world experience in a high-stress environment, which helped prepare her for company command and her civilian career at NASA.
“I am honored and extremely excited to have the opportunity to command the MICO (D Company),” said Mabey. “I’ve spent my entire military career in the intelligence world, and being the only intel company in the brigade, I was always striving to be the obvious choice when it came time for a new commander.”
Before starting her military career, Mabey aspired to commission as an intelligence officer. She accomplished that goal after she joined the Idaho National Guard in 2017.
Mabey’s military experience gave her the skills and training to get a job at NASA in June. She said that NASA classified national security information practices and procedures are nearly identical to those in the military. Her time as a security specialist for the Idaho Army National Guard and as a foreign disclosure officer while deployed prepared her for her NASA duties. And her NASA duties have complemented her responsibilities in the Idaho National Guard.
“I am very lucky as the skills I’ve developed at NASA go hand in hand with my National Guard responsibilities,” said Mabey. “In both roles, the protection of classified information is crucial as well as the security of everyday operations. Like most organizations, both are mission-focused. However, with NASA’s focus aimed more toward innovation and the National Guard aimed more toward defense and emergency response, I’m able to apply the knowledge of each one towards the other and hopefully provide a unique perspective.”
Mabey is also pursuing a master’s degree in Earth and planetary science. Balancing the demands of two careers and a graduate program is challenging.
“Both careers are filled with people from every walk of life, and being able to adapt and work in a team is absolutely crucial,” Mabey said. “In every team it is important to not only understand good leadership, but also good followership.”