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U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Adrian L. Spain, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (HAF/A3) and U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. David H. Tabor, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs (HAF/A8), made their first official visit to Grand Forks Air Force Base, Jan. 29, 2025.
Spain leads the development and implementation of policy directly supporting global operations, force management, training and readiness for the Air Force.
Tabor leads the development, integration, evaluation and analysis of the Air Force’s Program Objective Memorandum and Resource Allocation Plan.
They visited the Airmen of Grand Forks AFB to see how they are adapting to the recent mission changes with the ongoing temporary B1-B Lancer bed down, now in full swing. With B-1 personnel and aircraft arriving from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, starting Dec. 6, 2024, many Airmen have had to adjust to the additional mission surge and additional members in their office space while maintaining their day-to-day operations.
“This temporary bed down is an excellent example of Airpower Agility and Airman ingenuity,” said Lt. Gen. Tabor. “Seamlessly integrating crewed and uncrewed deterrence missions from the same flightline while flexing facilities to accommodate a 30% plus up in personnel is nothing short of impressive.”
Spain and Tabor had the opportunity to visit the varied 319th Reconnaissance Wing missions, including static displays of the RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40 and the E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communication Node, piloted by the 18th Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.
The RQ-4 and E-11 support Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), and Command and Control. The RQ-4 provides high-altitude, long-endurance ISR capabilities while being remotely piloted from Grand Forks AFB, the 7th Reconnaissance Squadron at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy and the 4th Reconnaissance Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
The E-11 relay and communication aircraft bridges 70 years of Air Force technology, allowing information exchange between air, land, and maritime sources. These airframes provide an essential bridge as the Air Force modernizes fleets and transitions to cutting-edge technologies.
“The unique problem-solving capabilities 319th Airmen demonstrate daily on the global stage is our readiness advantage,” said Lt. Gen. Tabor. “Add in the workhorse mentality of the B-1 community; this is a demonstration of putting together a complete training package.”
Spain and Tabor also met with the 319th Communications Squadron Airmen who operate one of two High Frequency Global Communications System control stations. Known as HFGCS for short, this system transmits and monitors signals and Emergency Action Messages globally for senior leader communications, including the President of the United States, and all DoD agencies.
Spain and Tabor ended their visit to the base by recognizing superior performers from across the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, thanking them for their relentless commitment to excellence and mission readiness.
"We are grateful to share this time with you,” said Lt. Gen. Spain, “Unbelievably impressive teamwork, professionalism, dedication, and pride are evident here at Grand Forks AFB as you generate readiness and increase lethality in your core missions.”
| Date Taken: | 01.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.11.2025 16:26 |
| Story ID: | 490574 |
| Location: | GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, NORTH DAKOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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