Aug. 4, 2014
Airman and Alumnus McAfee to Help Kick Off Striker Trident Program
Nuclear and Missile Operations officers within Air Force Global Strike Command have a new avenue of professional development available through the Command's new Striker Trident program.
One of the first 13Ns selected for the program is CWU alumnus Capt. Patrick McAfee, 341st Missile Wing, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.
McAfee graduated cum laude from CWU in June 2006. He earned a bachelor of science degree in biology with a general biology specialization and an aerospace studies minor. McAfee was an Air Force Detachment 895 Commissionee in spring quarter 2006. He earned the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps' Distinguished Graduate Award on June 10, 2014.
At Space and Missile Training School, he graduated as the Top Cadet in his class. His first assignment was at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. His hometown is Clinton, WA. His parents are CDMR (Ret) and Mrs. William (Diane) McAfee, United States Navy.
Striker Trident is an Air Force - 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 Admiral Michael J. Connor, Commander, Submarine Forces.
"The idea for an intercontinental ballistic missile/submarine-launched ballistic missile officer exchange program has been around for decades, but never came to fruition," Brig. Gen. Michael Fortney, AFGSC director of operations, said. "The recent ICBM Force Improvement Program highlighted the merits of such an exchange to Lt. Gen. Wilson and Maj. Gen. Weinstein, 20th Air Force commander, and they agreed. General Wilson then engaged his counterpart in the Navy, and six weeks later we were selecting candidates."
Competition for this new program was tough, and 13 candidates were submitted to the 13N development team, which ultimately selected the participants. Capt. John Mayer, 20th Air Force at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, is also one of the first 13Ns selected.
Read more of this story from Malmstrom Air Force Base here.