SrA. James Broderick, a Minuteman payload transporter van operator with the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., was recognized by the wing earlier this month for sustained excellence in executing his job. Col. Michael Fortney, 341st MW commander, on Oct. 14 congratulated Broderick on his record of completing more than 100 incident-free missions behind the wheel of his vehicle and thanked him for his level of attention. Broderick has been driving the 80,000-pound PT van since April 2006 and can cover up to 300 miles in one day shuttling Minuteman III ICBM components around the base’s expansive missile fields. (Air Force Space Command fired the wing commander at Minot AFB, N.D., where drivers of missile transports were cited for costly vehicle accidents.) (Malmstrom photo caption by SrA. Dillon White)
In the wake of a major Chinese military shakeup, the head of U.S. Space Command warned of China’s “breathtakingly fast” advances in space during visits to Japan and South Korea. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting’s trip to the Indo-Pacific is his first overseas visit since taking command of SPACECOM in January.