Mission Delta 4

Mission Delta 4 (MD4) is a United States Space Force unit responsible for providing strategic and theater missile warning and tracking to the United States and its international partners. It operates three constellations of Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) satellites and two types of Ground-Based Radars (GBRs) for the purpose of conducting strategic and theater missile warning and tracking. Additionally, DEL 4 provides tipping and cueing to missile defense forces, battlespace awareness to combatant commanders and technical intelligence for further analysis and manages weapon system architectures and ensures operations are intelligence-led, cyber-resilient, and driven by innovation, while postured to operate in a contested, degraded, and operationally-limited environment.^[7][8]

Mission Delta 4
Emblem of Mission Delta 4
Founded	24 July 2020; 4 years ago (2020-07-24)
Country	United States
Branch	United States Space Force
Type	Delta
Role	Missile warning and tracking
Size	1,200 personnel[1]
Part of	Space Operations Command
Headquarters	Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado, U.S.
Motto(s)	Latin: Videmus Mundum, lit. 'We see the world.'[2]
Website	www.buckley.spaceforce.mil
Commanders
Commander	Col Ernest R. Schmitt
Vice Commander	Lt Col Andrew Downey[3] Lt Col Richard Fancher[4] Lt Col Michael L. Hall[5]
Senior Enlisted Leader	CMSgt Kyle T. Mullen[6]
Insignia
Guidon

Activated on 24 July 2020, the delta is headquartered at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado.^[7][9] On 31 October 2024 it was redesignated Mission Delta 4 and gained sustainment responsibilities, along with organic cyber defense and intelligence forces.^[10]

History

DEL 4 was based on the previous 460th Operations Group, 460th Space Wing and 21st Operations Group, 21st Space Wing.^[11][12]

In lineage terms, the delta was originally established as 460 Operations Group (460 SW) on 2 August 2004.^[13] It was activated on 19 August 2004. It was redesignated as Space Delta 4 on 24 July 2020. Its status changed officially from a unit of the United States Air Force to a unit of the United States Space Force on 21 October 2020.

In 2023, Space Delta 4 assumed control of the U.S. Army's Joint Tactical Ground Station.^[8] On 31 October 2024 it was redesignated Mission Delta 4 and gained sustainment responsibilities, along with organic cyber defense and intelligence forces.^[10]

Structure

Emblem	Name	Function	Headquarters	Spacecraft and ground-based radars	Detachments
Squadrons
	2nd Space Warning Squadron	Missile warning, missile defense, battlespace awareness, and technical intelligence[14]	Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado	Defense Support Program Space Based Infrared System
	3rd Satellite Communications Squadron[15]	Military communications[14]	Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado
	5th Space Warning Squadron	Missile warning and space domain awareness[14]	Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado	Joint Tactical Ground Station	Det 1: Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy[16] Det 2: Qatar[a][18] Det 3: Osan Air Base, South Korea[19] Det 4: Misawa Air Base, Japan[20]
	6th Space Warning Squadron	Missile warning and space domain awareness[14]	Cape Cod Space Force Station, Massachusetts	AN/FPS-132 Upgraded Early Warning Radar
	7th Space Warning Squadron	Missile Defense and space domain awareness[14]	Beale Air Force Base, California	AN/FPS-132 Upgraded Early Warning Radar Long Range Discrimination Radar
	10th Space Warning Squadron	Missile warning and space domain awareness[14]	Cavalier Space Force Station, North Dakota	AN/FPQ-16 Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System
	11th Space Warning Squadron	Missile warning, missile defense, battlespace awareness, and technical intelligence[14]	Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado	Defense Support Program Space Based Infrared System
	12th Space Warning Squadron	Missile warning and space domain awareness[14]	Pituffik Space Base, Greenland	AN/FPS-132 Upgraded Early Warning Radar
	13th Space Warning Squadron	Missile warning, missile defense, and space domain awareness[14]	Clear Space Force Station, Alaska	AN/FPS-132 Upgraded Early Warning Radar AN/FPS-108 Cobra Dane (Operating Location) Long Range Discrimination Radar	Operating Location: Eareckson Air Station, Alaska
Operating locations
	Operating Location – Fylingdales	Missile warning and space domain awareness[14]	RAF Fylingdales, United Kingdom	AN/FPS-132 Upgraded Early Warning Radar

List of commanders

No.	Commander		Term			Ref
	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Duration
1		Bourquin, Richard L.Colonel Richard L. Bourquin	24 July 2020	15 July 2021	356 days	[21]
2		Cruz, Miguel A.Colonel Miguel A. Cruz	15 July 2021	21 July 2023	2 years, 6 days	[1][22]
3		Schmitt, Ernest R.Colonel Ernest R. Schmitt	21 July 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 303 days	[23][24]

Notes

1. This detachment location is inferred based on the locations of the detachments of the 1st Space Company, 1st Space Battalion of the U.S. Army, of which there were four. This unit is what was absorbed by the Space Force to become the 5th Space Warning Squadron. This detachment was previously known as JTAGS-Qatar under the Army.^[17]