LTRI National Security fellows learn about airpower history from AFGSC

LTRI National Security fellows learn about airpower history from AFGSC

Jan 8, 2025| General News, Partnerships, Shreveport/Bossier

The 2024-2025 Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) National Security Fellowship program is underway, and the 15 students representing Louisiana Tech University, Grambling State University, and Louisiana State University-Shreveport have worked through part of 2024 getting familiar with their research projects and the airmen who will support their efforts.

The fellows are primarily conducting research, analyzing data, and putting their technical studies into practice, but they are also being exposed to national security issues and airpower history. As the fellows engage with AFGSC, they learn concepts of strategic deterrence and long-range strike capability.

To expand their knowledge, on July 12, Louisiana Tech's Air Force ROTC Detachment 305 Commander, Lt. Col. James Sprys, provided them with an overview of Rapid Global Mobility. Lt. Col. Sprys is a C-17 Globemaster II pilot and has flown worldwide in support of U.S. and allied operations.

The nation's airlift, sealift, and rapid surface mobility infrastructure is designed to support both combat and humanitarian relief operations anytime and anywhere. The fellows learned several examples of disaster relief operations at home and abroad.

On July 18, retired Col. Russ Mathers, director of StrikeWerx, provided the fellows with an overview of nuclear history from 1945 to the present. The connections to AFGSC and its associated bomber, intercontinental ballistic missiles, command and control systems, and the dedicated airmen who perform the mission were the focus of the discussion. Aspects of the U.S. Navy's ballistic missile submarines and command and control platforms were also covered to provide a broad overview of the nation's strategic nuclear triad.

Fellows also heard from a panel of four veterans who were the first enroute to targets in Iraq during Operation DESERT STORM. Along with retired Col. Mathers, the airmen who flew the mission known as Secret Squirrel included retired Col. Warren Ward, retired Lt. Col. Rick Holt, and former Captain John Romano. They discussed the 35.4-hour non-stop flight to the Middle East and back to Barksdale. The then-top-secret mission was the first time the AGM-86C conventional air-launched cruise missile was used to strike enemy targets.

On August 2, several fellows attended a special ceremony-one rare to civilian eyes-at the Barksdale Global Power Museum. The occasion marked the 30th anniversary reunion for the airmen who flew a 47.2-hour non-stop flight around the world on August 1-3, 1994. The fellows heard from 12 of the 16 men who flew the mission and witnessed a tradition in which airmen toasted their friends who have passed on, including the late retired Brigadier General Peyton Cole. The veterans honored his wife, Kay Cole, who attended in her husband's place.

As the academic year progresses, the fellows in the National Security Fellowship are diligently advancing their research and analysis projects for AFGSC. Their efforts not only contribute to critical defense initiatives but also provide them with a deeper understanding of national security and airpower dynamics.