BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. —
Col. Richard “Bear” Bourquin assumes command of the newly-formed Space Delta 4, during a virtual ceremony hosted by Gen. Jay Raymond, Chief of Space Operations, July 24, continuing the alignment of units within the U.S. Space Force. DEL 4 will operate and support both space and ground-based sensors to provide strategic and theater missile warning to the U.S. and international partners.
As part of the activation, Buckley AFB divided and expanded the former 460th Space Wing into two separate, but equal organizations. The previous 460th Space Wing Vice Commander, Col. Bourquin has assumed command of DEL 4, formed from operational elements of the now-inactivated 460th and 21st Space Wings.
In addition to providing Overhead Persistent Infrared surveillance to Combatant Commanders through a constellation of satellites known as the Space Based Infrared Systems, DEL 4 commands several powerful ground-based radars. These radars are in key positions across the globe to provide early detection of Sea-Launched Ballistic Missiles and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. In essence, DEL 4 provides early missile warning capabilities to the U.S. missions at home and abroad, and includes support to our nation’s allies.
“As a career space officer that has worked multiple missile warning assignments over the last 24 years, including my first assignment as a Defense Support Program operator, I am excited to have the opportunity to integrate all of USSF’s missile warning capabilities into a single organization that can better detect and report on current and emerging missile threats and protect the U.S. and our international partners,” said Bourquin.
“We need to be able to see what everyone is doing before they do it,” said Chief Master Sergeant Willie Frazier II, DEL 4 senior enlisted leader. “The more warning we can provide, the better off we’ll be at detecting exactly where the threats are going to land, and then give our people ample forewarning. It’s imperative we provide these capabilities better than anyone else on the planet.”
DEL 4 operates in various world-wide locations to include Buckley AFB; Cape Cod Air Force Station, Massachusetts; Beale AFB, California; Cavalier AFS, North Dakota; and Thule Air Base, Greenland and Clear AFS, Alaska.
The USSF also stood up seven other operational Space Deltas, continuing to align units in a manner that maintains dominance and superiority in a contested, degraded, and operationally-limited environment. These Space Deltas are: Space Delta 2 (Space Domain Awareness), Space Delta 3 (Space Electronic Warfare), Space Delta 5 (Command and Control), Space Delta 6 (Cyber), Space Delta 7 (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance), Space Delta 8 (SATCOM-NAVWAR) and Space Delta 9 (Orbital Warfare).