Homeland Security Students Visit Colorado Air National Guard’s 140th Operations Support Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base

Twenty students in the Josef Korbel School's International Security master's degree and Homeland Security certificate program recently visited the 140th Operations Support Squadron (OSS), Colorado Air National Guard at Buckley Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. The students are enrolled in Dr. Ben Gochman's graduate course, Homeland Security: Prevention and Mitigation (INTS 4731).

The squadron is responsible for providing support to the 140th Wing training mission. Functions within the OSS include airfield management, air traffic control, intelligence, flight records, current operations scheduling, training, control of the Airburst bombing range, weapons and tactics, plans and mobility and weather forecasting and warning services. The OSS also manages an annual flying hour program of more than 5,500 hours and 2,500 sorties.

The students' visit included a question and answer session with Korbel alumnus and commander of the 140th OSS, Lieutenant Colonel Jeremiah Tucker, who spoke about the squadron's North America Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) mission under Operation Noble Eagle, which requires NORAD to conduct Air Sovereignty Alert (ASA) operations in order to protect U.S. airspace from terrorist threats. ASA operations involve individual aircraft (the 140th OSS) patrolling the airspace above North America and Colorado monitoring areas, which have been deemed to be of strategic importance. When a threat to homeland security is detected, aerial surveillance ends and the operation becomes a homeland defense air mission under Operation Noble Eagle.

One of the highlights of the visit was a tour of F-16 hangar, command center, training simulator and pilot's locker room with flight gear.

Learn more about the International Security master's degree and Homeland Security certificate program.