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Inside a ground mobile unit, Airman 1st Class Cameron Cruz, a space ground link system operator, responds to an inquiry about the health and status of an orbiting MilStar satellite located more than 22,000 nautical miles above the earth in a geosynchronous orbit. To maintain command and control of the MilStar constellation, mobile units that look like conventional tractor-trailer trucks, can relocate anywhere in the world. As a part of these teams, he must be a top operator and maintain additional proficiencies such as combat convoy procedures, and be licensed as a commercial truck driver. Airman 1st Class Cameron Cruz is a space man. Yet, he’s not from another world; he doesn’t wear a space suit, and he definitely doesn’t fly around in a spaceship. In fact, he’s never even been to space. “I’m no astronaut,” he chuckles. But while Airman Cruz may not perform space walks or fly on dan- gerous missions to repair broken-down space stations, his contributions to the Air Force’s ongoing endeavors in space are no less important. He’s an extremely high frequency satellite operator with the 4th Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., and on a daily basis he works with one of the most impor- tant communications satellite systems in the Air Force’s space armada – the Milstar constellation. Made up of five satellites, the Milstar constellation flies in geosynchronous orbit and provides secure, reliable and robust communications capabilities to U.S. forces around the globe. Orbiting at more than 22,000 miles above earth, this man-made constellation – which has surpassed 40 years of combined suc- cessful operations – provides a protected, global communica- tion network for the joint forces of the U.S. military and can transmit voice, data and imagery. Being nuclear hardened and anti-jammable, the constellation also provides the president, the secretary of defense and combatant commanders positive com- mand and control of the nation’s strategic forces. It’s Airman Cruz’s job to ensure this communication is possible. “My primary mission is to make sure we provide warfighters with secure, reliable communications capabilities,” he said. He’s not alone, either. All around him, on the squadron’s operations floor, are other Airmen who are tasked with the same mission, “making sure these satellites do what they’re supposed to do, when needed.” “We monitor the health and life of the Milstar system and its ground-based antenna,” said Airman Ashley Risk, a satellite opera- tor. “We make sure the satellite is where it’s supposed to be and all of its parts are working correctly.” It’s a job that is both daunting and essential. “If this system goes down or we lose our link, then this will affect the warfighters who are using the system,” said Airman 1st Class Jasper Platt, a satellite operator with 4th SOPS. “This affects their ability to communicate and operate effectively. If a link is broken, we fix it.” These Airmen work with billions of dollars of high-tech equip- ment every day – equipment that is of strategic importance to the nation. And the Airmen themselves are young in both age – averag- ing just over 20 years old – and experience, with most of the opera- tors being junior in grade and just out of technical school. What they lack in experience, these Airmen make up for in expertise. “To think that we have young Airmen out there who are operating these satellites points to the quality of both the young people entering the Air Force and the training they receive once they get here,” said Col. Jay Moody, deputy director of require- ments, Headquarters, Air Force Space Command. “Some of these Airmen are just out of high school, and now they’re oper- ating equipment worth many millions, and in some cases bil- lions, of dollars that provide capabilities essential to our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.” www.airmanonline.af.mil 12