CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. –
U.S. Command’s senior enlisted leaders traveled to Nevada to deepen operational understanding and highlight the powerful alignment between remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operations and space operations. Chief Master Sgt. Jacob Simmons, command senior enlisted leader, U.S. Space Command, and Chief Master Sgt. Tina Timmerman, command senior enlisted leader, U.S. Space Forces - Space, visited the 432d Wing/432d Air Expeditionary Wing at Creech Air Force Base and the 328th Weapons Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Nov. 17, 2025.
Across both locations, leaders emphasized that RPA and space operations represent the future of deployed-in-place warfighting—global effects delivered from secure installations that act as part of the weapons system. Both communities operate at the technical edge of 21st-century conflict, generating persistent precision, information dominance, and multidomain integration.
During the opening mission overview, U.S. Air Force Col. Kevin Auger, deputy commander, 432nd Wing/432d Air Expeditionary Wing, described major structural changes that reduced manning without reducing operational requirements. He explained how infrastructure, communications, power reliability, and medical support have absorbed significant strain.
Col. Auger emphasized that the MQ-9 weapons system is more than the aircraft itself and said, “The facilities, the powersystems, the network backbone — these are part of the weapon. If they fail, the mission fails.”
In the MQ-9 simulator, USSPACECOM leaders observed operators managing multispectral targeting systems (MTS), satellite-enabled navigation, and precision timing—mirroring space operators who manage orbital tracks, constellation behavior, and data transport. Both communities turn vast, complex information streams into rapid, actionable decisions.
RPA and space missions both execute from fixed, secure installations, proving that the installation itself is a weapons platform. These nodes host the cyber, power, and communication networks that enable global reach without forward deployment.
Airmen demonstrated propulsion tracking, fuel planning, and repair-cycle analytics—all dependent on timing accuracy, data integrity, and secure networks. The team discussed how MQ-9 operations are inseparable from Space superiority. Without secure GPS, protected satellite communication, and resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), MQ-9 sorties would lose reliability and in some cases feasibility. This reinforced that MQ-9 effectiveness is directly tied to USSPACECOM’s ability to maintain uncontested access to space.
Simmons met with MQ-9 Airmen who discussed sustaining high-tempo operations amid increased demands. Airmen highlighted concerns about infrastructure degradation and operational fatigue—echoing themes raised during the leadership brief. “Your information, your overwatch, your persistence — Space operators rely on it,” said Simmons as he emphasized that both RPA and space professionals excel in environments defined by information saturation, rapid decision timelines, and the need for precision
Timmerman recognized two Guardians, Master Sgt. Jacquelynne Kidd and Technical Sgt. Kameron Fountas at the 328th Weapons School who identified and resolved a major power-efficiency anomaly caused by a mismatch between Air Force systems and a commercial provider. Their discovery restored clean signal quality and corrected a long-standing oversight.
She praised their method saying, “The problem-solving you used here is the same analytical structure we teach in space operations — you are thinking like joint operators.”
The visit to the 328th Weapons Squadron highlighted the realization of over a decade of effort to build humble, approachable, and credible enlisted tacticians across space, cyber, and intelligence communities. These enlisted Weapons School graduates form a cadre prepared for the demands of 21st-century warfare.
“The school has grown into exactly what the joint fight requires — operators who understand effects across domains,” Timmerman noted.
The engagement affirmed that RPA and space operations are converging around a shared model of multidomain warfighting—precision, persistence, and information dominance executed from secure installations. Together, these missions form mutually reinforcing pillars of U.S. global power and operational advantage.