1st space bde patch

Strategic Command. Army War College. He is a graduate of the U. Command Sgt. Robert E. Bell is a native of Faison, North Carolina.

He graduated from Hobbton High School in In September , Bell enlisted in the Army as a 16S man portable air defense system crewmember. Bell served in numerous leadership positions from Stinger team chief to battalion command sergeant major. Since the nation's earliest efforts in space exploration, the Army's contributions to the American space program continue to evolve and diversify. In August , the group was again redesignated as the Army Space Agency. It absorbed the planning and support functions of the Army Space Agency and assumed operational space missions.

The 1st Space Brigade began operations in and was officially activated as a provisional brigade in to fill a growing capability gap recognized by the Army leadership to support Army forces and their critical dependence on space capabilities and products.

The brigade was activated Oct. The brigade also has a special training and oversight relationship with the th Space Battalion Colorado Army National Guard. The 53rd Signal Battalion and 1st Space Battalion are charged with providing day-to-day space support to the operational Army. Since the fall of , Army Space Warriors have executed over 60 deployments in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn and multiple contingency operations.

Each day, the commander's Active and Reserve Component Soldiers, Department of Defense civilians and contractors work on the cutting edge of normalizing and providing space support. The 1st Space Brigade continues to expand its mission in support of land warriors. The U. Army and the joint military community have recognized and continue to embrace the force multiplier provided by space capabilities and products. The 1st Space Brigade will continue to provide these capabilities all over the world, wherever and whenever it is needed.

The 1st Space Battalion was activated Dec. Timothy R. Coffin as its first commander and Command Sgt. Army Space Command just marked its 15th birthday, although the history of the Army in Space is much longer than that. We've postponed celebrating that anniversary while our soldiers are in harm's way, but, this is still a great time to stand up the new brigade.

It was posted in the waiting empty stand, already flanked by the Army Space Command and three battalion flags. Then, while the official activation orders were read, Cosumano passed the formal, framed copy of the order to the brigade commander, Col. David Shaffer. The mission of the 1st Space Brigade, as detailed in the order, is to "conduct continuous, global space support, space control and space force enhancement operations in support of U. Strategic Command and supported combatant commanders enabling the delivery of decisive combat power.

Its three battalions - the 1st Satellite Control Battalion, the 1st Space Battalion and the rd Space Battalion, Colorado National Guard - provide satellite communications, force enhancement and early missile warning to the warfighter.

Shaffer insisted that the honors of the day belonged not to him, as first commander of the first-ever Space Brigade, but to that brigade's deployed soldiers, whom he and Brigade Command Sgt.

Reginald Ficklin could only represent. This ceremony is for them, as they sweat and work around the clock, helping the combatant commanders achieve the spectacular success they have," said Shaffer. Cosumano extended a special welcome to another general officer attending the event, Air Force Maj. Mason C. Case in point, the rd Space Battalion, activated just before Sept.

What a great asset they have been. They, as well as their sister battalions, have been doing a magnificent job in supporting the warfighter, wherever he is deployed. Today, we're providing force enhancement and force protection. We've come a long way in 15 years, and the stand-up of this brigade today is an indicator of all the challenges we'll meet in the future," Cosumano concluded.