STAR Delta’s OL-A Ensures Combat Readiness in Space Flag 21-2

Participants of Space Flag 21-2 pose for a group photo on April 26, 2021, in St. Louis, Missouri. Space Flag is a training exercise focused on protecting and defending the United States’ access to freedom to maneuver in a contested space warfighting domain. This was the first time Space Flag was conducted in two geographically separated locations, St. Louis, Missouri and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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STAR Delta’s OL-A Ensures Combat Readiness in Space Flag 21-2

Published May 13, 2021
By Ashley Palacios
STAR Delta (P) Public Affairs

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The 11th iteration of the Space Force’s premier advanced training, Space Flag, SF 21-2, successfully concluded May 6, marking the first time Space Flag was conducted at two geographically separated locations.

Led by the Provisional Space Training and Readiness (STAR) Delta Operating Location Alpha, 39 exercise players and 47 participants from Space Operations Command and the National Reconnaissance Office came together at training sites in St. Louis, Missouri and Colorado Springs, Colorado for Space Flag 21-2, an exercise focused on training to protect and defend the United States’ access to freedom to maneuver in space. Ultimately, this exercise prepared Airmen and Guardians to succeed in a contested, degraded, and operationally-limited space environment.

A unique aspect of SF 21-2 was the practice mission planning session conducted prior to the start of the exercise. In order to demonstrate the tactical mission planning process to posture players for success in the exercise, weapons and tactics officers from across the Space Force completed a practice mission planning session and received overwhelming positive feedback.

According to Lt. Col. Albert Harris, OL-A director, the distributed training locations “allowed for increased participation while also adhering to social distancing guidelines. Planning and executing the exercise from two separate locations presented challenges but our expert Exercise Control Group was able to overcome and excel in real-time conflict resolution to present a seamless environment for the exercise.”

Mitigating the risks of COVID-19 continued to be a top concern for Space Flag planners. OL-A postured leaders at both SF 21-2 locations and implemented policies to ensure the health and safety of all participants. Despite the challenges presented, OL-A successfully completed Space Force’s first distributed Space Flag exercise.

While all players contributed to the success of SF 21-2, a few were acknowledged for their outstanding contributions.

1st Lt. Nathan Isaacs, 20th Space Control Squadron, received the Moorhead Award. This award is presented to the player that demonstrates exceptional leadership and problem solving skills which led to the overall success of the mission. Isaacs stepped in as the mission planner for the first part of the exercise due to an unexpected absence. His professional, dedicated approach to fostering the SF 21-2 team’s learning continued throughout the exercise.

Additionally, the following individuals were recognized as top performers amongst their peers at SF 21-2: 1st Lt. Tia Scoggin, 20th Space Control Squadron; SSgt. Jerel Phoenix, NRO Operations Center; Specialist 4 Eddie Waller, 4th Space Operations Squadron; and Capt. Samuel Stephens, Delta 7 Det. 8.

The O-6 led STAR Delta (P), which stood up in July 2020 at the Peterson-Schriever Garrison, serves as the parent organization for the training, education, test, and evaluation units transferred into the United States Space Force, including STAR Delta OL-A.