The Eastern Air Defense Sector received the command and control unit of the year award and six individual awards at the recent Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region-First Air Force and Air Forces Northern annual awards ceremony.
“It’s a remarkable achievement to win individual awards in organizations as large as CONR and AFNORTH and I congratulate our six winners on their outstanding accomplishments,” said Col. Joseph F. Roos, EADS Commander. “As a Commander, the command and control unit of the year award is especially gratifying because it recognizes the professionalism, technical excellence and personal dedication that I see every day.”
Award recipients were:
- Eastern Air Defense Sector, CONR Command and Control Unit of the Year. The nation’s busiest air defense sector, EADS investigated more than 16,500 potential threats last year and enforced 186 temporary flight restrictions for Presidential travel. The unit earned the highest possible “mission ready” rating in all 21 graded areas during its alert force evaluations and completed a $13 million operations floor modernization project. During the modernization project, EADS built an alternate operations floor and conducted its around-the-clock air defense mission without pause.
- Lt. Col. Matthew Smith, Manlius, AFNORTH Outstanding Field Grade Officer. Smith led the ADS’ standards and evaluations section through 33 assessments and served as the flight commander for a 42-member crew. EADS’ liaison officer at the United Nations General Assembly, Smith coordinated airspace security efforts that helped protect the President and nearly 200 foreign delegates. He was also a prominent contributor to the Air Force’s revised operational manual for Battle Control Centers, writing 17 entries for the updated publication.
- Capt. Matthew Cummings, CONR Outstanding Company Grade Officer. Cummings earned two exceptionally qualified ratings during operational assessments, which placed him in the top one percent of evaluated Airmen. Cummings integrated U.S. Army, AFNORTH and Canadian Forces during a NORAD bi-national drill, providing critical cruise missile defense training for the units. Other accomplishments included training more than 80 U.S. Amy soldiers for the air defense mission in the National Capital Region.
- Capt. Daniel Steere, AFNORTH Outstanding Company Grade Officer. A member of EADS’ 223rd Air Defense Squadron in the Washington, D.C. area, Steere managed a communications security account at 10 sites and earned the highest rating of mission readiness on three inspections. The primary manager for a $100 million information technology contract, he ensured the reliability of 23 separate Army and Air Force mission systems. Steere was also recognized for creating an 18-month airman development plan, which was instituted across EADS.
- Senior Airman Kyle Larsen, AFNORTH Outstanding Junior Enlisted Airman. Larsen conducted 297 hours of surveillance of the National Capital Region’s airspace, where he detected and reported 2,900 potential threats. In addition, he worked 71 temporary flight restrictions for Presidential travel, where he coordinated with nine government agencies and monitored and reported five airspace violators.
- Mr. Nick Amicucci, AFNORTH Outstanding Civilian (Tier II). EADS facility operations specialist, Amicucci improvised temporary ventilation for the unit’s data center, ensuring that $12 million in mission-essential equipment was protected and maintained. Amicucci planned and oversaw heating, ventilation and air conditioning automation upgrades and led the unit’s design efforts for a major construction project.
- Mr. Larry Thornton, CONR Outstanding Civilian (Tier II). An exercise designer, Thornton supported NORAD’s bilateral exercise with the Mexican Air Force, providing cross-border training in preparation for the upcoming World Cup soccer events. He also developed training to prepare EADS and its federal agency partners for the Republican and Democratic National Conventions and facilitated U.S. Army crew certifications in the National Capital Region, qualifying 86 soldiers for air defense operations.
The Eastern Air Defense Sector, headquartered in Rome, New York, is part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and is responsible for the air defense of the homeland. The 224th Air Defense Group, an independent, wing-equivalent group of the New York Air National Guard, is located at EADS and provides the forces to conduct the air defense mission.
The 224th ADG has several squadrons and detachments. The 224th ADS, the 224th Support Squadron, the 224th Security Forces Squadron and a Royal Canadian Air Force detachment serve in Rome. Two geographically separated units, the 223rd ADS and the National Capital Region Coordination Center detachment, serve in the Washington, D.C. area.
For more information about the New York Air National Guard, visit www.dmna.ny.gov. For more information on the Eastern Air Defense Sector and the 224th Air Defense Group, visit www.eads.ang.af.mil.