BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- The 2021 Global Strike Challenge wraps up this week after several months of competition.
Global Strike Challenge is the world's premier bomber and ICBM operations and maintenance, helicopter operations and security forces competition with units from Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Combat Command, Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard participating.
The competition occurs every other year with operations and maintenance competitions occurring throughout the summer months. This year, teams competed at their home bases from July through September, and Security Forces teams traveled to Camp Guernsey, Wyoming, for their portion of the competition.
“This year’s theme is ‘Strikers are One … Resilient, Credible, Lethal Team.’ This stresses that Global Strike Airmen are a team of teams, and that we’re all hopelessly dependent on one another in order to achieve strategic success,” said Lt. Col. Robert Fore, lead Global Strike Challenge coordinator. “This year’s competition has been ramped up, and we’ve asked our Airmen to demonstrate excellence using modern tools, technology and tactics, and they have done so in spades. They have proven how resilient they are by overcoming many challenges in innovative ways – and have demonstrated credibility and lethality to themselves, their peers, their community and their adversaries. America should sleep well.”
The competition is designed to enhance readiness, lethality, teamwork, mission pride, competitive spirit and recognize the “best of the best” in weapons systems and technical expertise.
Connecting heritage and mission, Global Strike Challenge traces its roots to the Strategic Air Command’s bomber, weapons loading and missile competitions. However, it is unique when compared to SAC’s competitions because it includes operations, maintenance and security forces participants from both the missile and bomber communities, launching a new tradition that celebrates the past.
Global Strike Challenge concludes Dec.8 with the score posting and trophy presentations at Hoban Hall on Barksdale AFB.