The Air Force Global Strike Command Innovation and Technology Symposium is in it’s 3rd and final day as Air Force leaders, personnel and Defense Industry experts have been convening at Shreveport’s Convention Center this week. The Theme is : "Breaking Barriers and Leading Change—Strategic Deterrence and Global Strike in the 21st Century" and touted as the command’s premiere professional event of the year. Airmen and defense industry experts have held conferences exchanging ideas and experiences in Missle and bomb strategies and technologies. One of the many speakers Brigadier General Kristen Goodwin, a former Bombwing Commander at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier, is now Commandant at the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado. She shared her observations about this landmark event.
"This is an incredible event, because it brings together airmen from our most youngest airmen to our senior leaders in Air Force Global Strike Command." She added " It brings together 8th Air Force which are the bombers, and you bring in the missiles. And we learn from each other, we learn about the new things we are doing." Goodwin mentioned the symposium is an opportunity to be mentored by the senior leadership and grow as a community.The symposium is also held in conjunction with the conclusion of the Global Strike Challenge, an event held every two years where top security forces, maintainers and missile and bomber crews compete to be recognized as the best in their fields.
Lt. Colonel Ed Mendones is the lead officer in charge of competition. "This is the Super-Bowl, this is the title. So we take the best of the best from each of the units within Air Force Global Strike Command and we have competitors that dedicate hours upon hours of studying and training and we put them through a grueling evaluation in which we score. " The scores are tallied and at the conclusion of the competition the best bomb wing and missile crews will receive top recognition as being "the best of the best" in the Air Force. The GLOBAL STRIKE CHALLENGE awards ceremony is this evening at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City.
