MXG wins Air Force maintenance award

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Delia Marchick
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  The 341st Maintenance Group won the 2016 Air Force Maintenance Effectiveness Award.

The Maintenance Effectiveness Award is presented annually to the unit that has best met the objective of providing safe, serviceable and available equipment for sustained use in peacetime and wartime, and has best managed resources in four separate categories.

The 341st MXG submitted their award package under category three, missile and munitions maintenance, beating the small aircraft and medium aircraft maintenance submissions.

“This is the first time that we have ever received this award,” said 1st Lt. Cody Miller, 341st Missile Maintenance generation flight commander.

According to Miller, Air Force Global Strike Command has never had a maintenance group that has won this award.

Miller said that they were up against 164 total force units including active duty, guard and reserve maintenance units.

“My belief is that the award was possible because we have some of the best people performing the job day in and day out,” said Lt. Col. Jerrod Duggan, 341st MXG deputy commander.

According to Duggan, the 341st MXG has a very young force and the leadership has empowered them with making decisions out in the missile field and trusts their judgement. That is what has made the maintenance group the best in the Air Force.

“Airmen at all levels have been enabled to enact practices that they believe will allow them to more effectively execute the mission,” said Miller.

According to Duggan, the maintenance group is made up of about 500 maintainers responsible for ensuring the sustainment and the operational capability of 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Accomplishments from the group include innovative and effective maintenance practices, more than 5,000 community service hours, the highest equipment availability rate for AFGSC, and the highest weapon system alert rate.

“I am proud of the organizational discipline shown day in and day out and beyond that, the teamwork across the base and across the community of Great Falls,” said Duggan.