FOR RELEASE: Friday, Feb. 2, 2024
CONTACT: CONG Public Affairs Office, 720-250-1053, ng.co.coarng.list.militarysupport@mail.mil
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Colorado Army National Guard Soldiers from two Army Space Support Teams will be honored at a ceremony starting at 2:00 p.m. Feb. 3, 2024, at the 117th Space Battalion Readiness Center, 1775 Barger St., Fort Carson, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Six Soldiers from ARSST 20, 117th Space Battalion are returning from a May 2023 deployment in support of Operation Spartan Shield while ARSST 17, also of the 117th, prepares to deploy to the same CENTCOM area of operations in order to maximize space-based capabilities of U.S. and Allied operations in support of overseas operations.
“Teams 20 and 17 are outstanding representatives of the Army Space support mission and demonstrate 117th Soldiers’ continued dedicated service to that mission,” U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jay Gustin, 117th commander said. “We celebrate and thank the Soldiers and their families for their service.”
The 117th is aligned with the 100th Missile Defense Brigade and is based out of Colorado Springs. The 117th is the Army National Guard’s only space battalion and one of only two ARSST providers within all components of the United States Army.
The 117th stands out as a uniquely organized, resourced, and heavily requested capability of the COARNG and U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. The battalion continues to develop and evolve its capabilities as the demand for Army space-based capabilities grows within conventional and special operations commands.
“The Soldiers of the 117th Space Battalion continue to support global operations since the battalion’s inception in 2003 with near-continuous rotations of our Army Space Support Teams to the CENTCOM area of operations,” Gustin said. “The unique technical capabilities that these teams provide ensure that friendly ground forces can leverage support from U.S. space assets.”
Since 9/11/2001, the battalion has mobilized 42 ARSSTs, Space Support Elements, and Commercial Imagery Teams in support of U.S. Army and Marine Corps elements in U.S. Central Command.