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Air Force Selects Three Minot Missileers for Special Programs

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. David Rickards
  • 91st Operations Group
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The nuclear and missile operations fall development team convened at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 15, 2014.  The team was charged with selecting officers for several special programs to include Top Hand, Striker Trident, Air Force Global Strike Command Pathfinder Internship, and 13N/21M/31P Exchange programs.

Three Minot Air Force Base officers were selected for the special programs: one for the Striker Trident program and two for Top Hand.

Capt. Cody daMota was selected for Striker Trident, a Navy exchange program that supports professional development of company grade officers trained and qualified in similar nuclear deterrence missions, according to a memorandum of understanding between Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, AFGSC commander, and Vice Adm. Michael J. Connor, Commander of Submarine Forces.  DaMota will head to a three-year assignment with the commander of Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

"This is a unique opportunity," daMota said. "Working with another service branch on the deterrence mission promises to be intriguing." 

In support of professional development within the strategic enterprise, participants will be trained in the day-to-day management of the strategic submarine force.

DaMota, an Ohio native, started on active duty in September of 2007 and has been stationed at Minot since December 2010. While at Minot, he progressed from his initial job as a deputy missile combat crew commander to: a full crew commander, flight commander, instructor, and emergency war order planner positions. He is one of only two missileers in the Air Force selected for the program this cycle. 

According to AFGSC, the target officer group for the program was midlevel captains who have hit about the six and a half year mark of commissioned service, give or take a year, and have done two tours in the ICBM field.

The idea for an intercontinental ballistic missile, submarine-launched ballistic missile officer exchange program has been around for decades, but never came to fruition," said Brig. Gen. Michael Fortney, AFGSC director of operations. "The recent ICBM Force Improvement Philosophy highlighted the merits of such an exchange." 

Creating better career growth options for nuclear officers was among the needs identified through the FIP process.

The other two officers selected for special programs are Capt. Kevin Johnston, 91st Operational Support Squadron emergency war order planner, and Capt. Tyler Vickers, 91st Operations Group evaluator. Both were chosen to go to Vandenberg Air Force Base this summer and join the Top Hand program.

Top Hand is a professional development program for talented, highly-qualified, motivated officers with demonstrated leadership potential to serve in the highly visible ICBM operational test and evaluation program. The program offers the opportunity to strengthen weapon system and nuclear design knowledge through hands-on operational test and evaluation experience and direct interaction with partners in the nuclear community, including the Department of Energy, national nuclear laboratories, industry contractors and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Johnston hails from Pennsylvania, entering active duty in May of 2009 and has been stationed at Minot since October of 2010. While at Minot, he held positions as a missileer deputy, commander, evaluator and instructor, attaining the rare "Senior Crew" status reserved for only four missileers in the operations group before starting his most recent job as ICBM emergency war orders planner.

Vickers is from Alabama and began his Air Force career in January of 2010, and arrived at Minot in October of 2011. Vickers' talents as an evaluator were quickly recognized. He was selected for standardization and evaluation duties as a deputy missile combat crew commander and again as a full missile combat crew commander.