USSTRATCOM Commander Presents Omaha Trophies to 5BW and 91MW Leadership

by Senior Airman Malia Jenkins
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs

5/24/2015 - MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D.  --
U.S. Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney, U.S. Strategic Command commander, presented the coveted 2014 Omaha Trophies to the Warbirds and Rough Riders of Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, May 20, 2015.

The 5th Bomb Wing was named the 2014 Omaha Trophy recipient for the fourth time as the command's premier strategic aircraft operations wing, and the 91st Missile Wing was named the 2014 Omaha Trophy recipient as the command's premier intercontinental ballistic missile wing, in recognition of outstanding support to U.S. Strategic Command's global strategic missions over the last year.

This is also the fifth time the 91st MW has earned the Omaha Trophy and will be added to the coveted Blanchard Trophy they earned from the Air Force Global Strike Challenge.

Haney visited Minot to award the 5th BW and 91st MW Omaha Trophies and express his appreciation to the men and women of Team Minot for enabling a safe, secure and effective deterrence force 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.

Since taking command more than a year and a half ago, Haney has visited the base on numerous occasions under diverse weather conditions. He said he knows how everybody on the team works together, whether it's the chefs at the alert facilities, the maintainers doing intricate maintenance procedures on the aircraft, the alert crews themselves or the defenders. Everyone works together for a common cause.

"It is very important that you continue your Omaha Trophy performance as you continue to work through calendar year 2015. And so far, as I look at what you've been doing here in 2015, I would say I can thank you for having that remarkable performance continue well beyond 2014," Haney said.

The Omaha Trophy celebrates USSTRATCOM's premier intercontinental ballistic missile wing, ballistic missile submarine, strategic aircraft operations wing and global operations (space/cyberspace) unit.

Those receiving awards represent units throughout USSTRATCOM which are critical to fulfilling the combatant command's primary mission: to detect, deter and prevent strategic attacks against the United States and its allies. The tradition began as a single award in 1971, when the Strategic Command Consultation Committee created the trophy as a token of appreciation to, then, Strategic Air Command's best wing.

"It's important for the United States of America that we have a safe, secure and effective strategic nuclear deterrent," Haney said. "When you look at the long list of things you had to do in 2014, it was all about mission excellence and that's exactly what we want potential adversaries to understand in the deterrence calculus. Your performance makes sure that's well known."

Haney said, sometimes in the busyness of the day, the importance of getting the mission right can get lost. He urged the Airmen to continue keeping mission excellence at the forefront -- backing each other up so that the team performance is where it should be.

He also added, "As Commander of United States Strategic Command, I want to personally thank you for mission excellence as demonstrated in these trophies."

Both wing commanders thanked the Airmen for their hard work and dedication and spoke about the importance of having a great teammate, wingman and leader as they accepted their respective trophies.