Omaha Trophy presented to Team Malmstrom

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eydie Sakura
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Outstanding readiness and performances during inspections, and the wing's professionalism and dedication to excellence, were the key ingredients to Team Malmstrom winning the U.S. Strategic Command Consultation Committee's Omaha Trophy award. 

Gen. Kevin Chilton, USSTRATCOM commander, and Mr. John Whisler, representing the Strategic Command Consultation Committee, presented the Omaha Trophy to the 341st Missile Wing commander, Col. Michael Fortney, and the men and women of Malmstrom Air Force Base Sept. 18.

"The Omaha Trophy is a great award in Strategic Command and has been given out for a very tough competition since 1971," General Chilton said. "It's a great pleasure to be here and participate on behalf of the Strategic Command Consultation Committee to present the award to the 341st Missile Wing for the great work they do in strategic deterrence for the United States."

The trophy is awarded to a unit who demonstrates the highest standards of performance, and the selection for the award is based on meritorious achievements, safety, community involvement and humanitarian actions.

"It's a privilege to stand up here as your wing commander in front of a group of folks who perform an extreme mission in very extreme environments most of the time, and work very hard to maintain extreme standards," Colonel Fortney said to an auditorium filled with members of Team Malmstrom. "This is the best strategic deterrent organization in the USSTRATCOM so this is a big deal; I'm receiving this award on your behalf, in fact, I wasn't even here during the performance period of this year, so I'm receiving it for you."

The colonel said the Omaha Trophy is a base award, and every single person who contributes to the mission is responsible for the win. Whether it's an Airman working in the dining facility, a civilian working in the Travel Management Office, a gate cop standing guard as the first line of defense, a dental hygienist or the care-givers at the Child Development Center, each person touches the mission every day.

"The [ICBM mission] requires perfection and it's a no fail mission," General Chilton said. "It requires attention to detail, incredible leadership, and hard work every day to be done correctly, and when I say correctly, I mean perfectly. There is no room for error when it comes to these weapons. [The good work] is not happening because of technology or equipment, it's happening because of the people."

Malmstrom's effectiveness toward global security was showcased throughout 2007 in each unit's individual job performances and tasks to mission success; however, a few stand out as key achievements to receiving this award. They include partaking in the largest logistics undertaking in Minuteman III history by seamlessly integrating more than $9 billion in missile modifications along with a squadron deactivation; flying more than 2,500 hours and 1,500 sorties to support the 20th Air Force's helicopter missions with an unparalleled safety record; and completing the biggest security forces upgrade training programs in the Air Force with a 100 percent pass rate and an average score of nearly 87 percent.

Team Malmstrom also received many awards including the Blanchard Trophy; 20 Air Force-level annual awards; and numerous Air Force Space Command awards and recognition. The wing was also the command's busiest Air Expeditionary Force machine, deploying 800 Airmen to Iraq and Afghanistan with a less than one percent error rate.

The year also brought many inspections and evaluations to the wing. During a Nuclear Surety Inspection the base performed their tasks well, receiving three "outstanding" and nine "excellent" area ratings and aced the NSI with a 100 percent pass rate, which the Inspector General said demonstrated "superb" attention to detail.

"We cannot get along like we do without the great support of the citizens of Great Falls," General Chilton said. "I know that one of the reasons the men and women of this base can do their job so well is because of the great community support they have. Whether they deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan or to the missile field across Montana for defense of this country, we can always depend on the citizens of Great Falls to look after our families and to help them out along the way."