Security Support Squadron wins best in AFSPC

By Airman 1st Class Emerald Ralston, 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office / Published April 19, 2007

MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- Officials recently announced the 341st Security Support Squadron as the winner of the 2006 Air Force Space Command Outstanding Unit Award.

Relentless implementation of new technology and a drive to excel brought this award home for the 341st SSPTS, said Maj. Joseph Musacchia, 341st SSPTS commander.

"We made a conscious choice that we were going to bring the Security Forces Group into the 21st Century," Major Musacchia said. "I briefed General Lord [former Air Force Space Command commander] personally and told him how we wanted to modernize our operations. After telling him what kind of funding we needed he said 'Great, you get $10 thousand.'"

That was the seed money to start automating everything around the common access card, and that innovative automation helped earn the 341st SSPTS the award.

"Our most significant accomplishments are the automation efforts in the Keys and Codes Control Center, Security Forces armory and Vehicle Recovery Center," said Senior Master Sgt. David White, 341st Security Forces manager. "We created an automatic entry authorization request and integrated it with a bar code scanner capable of reading and individual's CAC to retrieve their virtual record. This speeds up the process for verifying missile field dispatches and determining an individual's status under the personnel reliability program."

"The KCCC also created a virtual entry authorization list utilizing a template that ensures uniformity and compliance with Air Force Space Command guidelines," Sergeant White said. "The virtual entry authorization letter may be routed electronically, which also speeds up the coordination process and allows it to be posted at each affected missile alert facility in a fraction of the time it would take to transport them by vehicle."

Also, similar programs are used to enhance operations in the vehicle recovery center for vehicle check out and in the armory for weapon, ammunition and equipment check out.

"Not a single Security Forces member could do their job without going through at least four people in the Security Support Squadron," Major Musacchia said. "If Security Forces is the wheel, the Security Support Squadron is the axle it turns on."

Along with streamlining the EAL process, the 341st SSPTS was ahead of the curve for AFSPC Security Forces technology.

"We had $57.1 million worth of Security Forces technology that had never been tested or proven in the 20th Air Force," Major Musacchia said. "We were the first to use the new technology and we were also selected to brief the numbered Air Force on the new technologies."

With a steady trend of going above and beyond, the 341st SSPTS also took great strides by eliminating 60 hours of classroom training for the job and converting to computer based training, and was the first ever to do so.

Another accomplishment in the 341st SSPTS is the cohesion of the squadron over the past years.

"When I took command, the 341st SSPTS had no identity," Major Musacchia said. "They were just loose groups of people. But with leadership and organization, we made the 341st SSPTS a cohesive and effective unit. Every section was touched and improved, and having everything automated around the CAC is an underlying thread to tie us together."

Teamwork keeps the mission running on a day-to-day basis, as well, in the 341st SSPTS.

"Quality people who go the extra mile to make great things happen make us such a great cohesive unit," Sergeant White said. "The members of our unit go above and beyond every day not only to meet the needs of the mission, but also to seek out new and more efficient ways to enhance daily operations. We've also benefited from the tremendous support of the 120th Fighter Wing Air National Guard unit who have augmented us for the past year. These individuals possess a variety of unique skill sets and experience that has been an integral part of our success and has elevated the squadron to new levels of excellence."

Of course, all these accomplishments couldn't have happened without a foundation of leadership and direction.

"Vision without a plan of action and hard work is nothing more than a hallucination," Major Musacchia said. "All I did was provide the vision and my people amazed me with their action and hard work to make it a reality."

If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.