GREELEY, Colo. – Colorado Air National Guard members of the 233rd Space Group hosted an official ceremony for the retirement of the Mobile Ground System at the Greeley Air National Guard Station, Aug. 2, 2025.
The ceremony celebrated over forty years of the MGS and its mission in missile defense. The unit employs nearly 400 Airmen consisting of dual status technicians, Active Guard and Reserve, and traditional guard members.
“The MGS is fundamentally a missile warning system that is mobile,” said U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Harry Smith, senior enlisted leader, 137th Space Warning Squadron. “It’s very unique in that regard.”
From 1983 until 1996, the MGS was used to provide survivable missile warning from a mobile platform at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, before being transferred to GANGS.
By March 2012, the 233rd Space Group was activated, the first of its kind in the nation, moving the 137th Space Warning Squadron, the oldest ANG space unit, under the Group. Additionally, two new squadrons and one flight were created; The 233rd Space Communication Squadron, whose primary responsibility was to maintain the communications equipment of the MGS. The 233rd Security Forces Squadron, whose primary responsibility was to protect the MGS, and the 233rd Logistical Readiness Flight, who maintained logistical support, aerospace ground equipment support, and fleet readiness.
In May 2019, the 138th Electronic Warfare Squadron stood up under the 233rd SG at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado Springs. The unit protects space assets and employs defensive capabilities.
“What the MGS really provides is not only missile warning data, but also battle space awareness,” Smith said, describing the 233rd’s mission today. “All the data fuses together to give nuclear war fighters and submariners a clear picture of the battle space so they don’t have to fight that engagement blind.”
U.S. Air Force Col. Stephanie Figueroa, commander, 233rd Space Group, recounts that when she joined the group in 2018 she was told they were going to decommission the MGS “any minute now.”
“We employed it to the outer limits of its capabilities,” Figueroa said during her ceremony speech to the Airmen of the 233rd. “We had proven time and time again the mobility of that weapon system. We knew our role, and we were exceptional at it.”
Figueroa also discussed the innovation and creativity the unit used to continue using the system so far past its expected lifecycle.
Members of the 233rd Space Communications Squadron marked the MGS as officially non-mission capable May 13, 2025, at 6 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.
The ceremony saw contractors, who had worked on the MGS in the past, recognized for their efforts as the unit recounted their experiences together with the MGS both state-side and deployed abroad.
“When Russia invaded Ukraine, we were able to get a lot of people to come to our unit just in case we had to make a movement or execute our survival and endurable mission,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Aaron Wegener, cyber operations transport craftsman, 233rd Space Group, as he recalled past MGS missions. “We stood up very fast and were able to maintain 24/7 operations for a time.”
Smith also explained that the 233rd will certainly continue with their domestic operations missions. This was exemplified when they responded to emergencies like the 2013 Colorado Floods, when their unit was one of the first responders, and the Windsor Tornado in 2008.
“Our Joint Communications kit is world class; our team is world class,” Smith said, discussing how the 233rd aims to continue with domestic operations. “We have done a huge amount of work there for the last 20 years, everything from responding to forest fires and tornadoes to the state capitol response, and we’d like to continue to do those.”
Without the MGS, 233rd members are looking to the future for what their next mission will be.
“I mean, we’re all speculating there as well,” Smith said, commenting on the future of the 233rd. “I think the Air National Guard isn’t going to drag their feet on this. I think they’ll make an expeditious effort because they don’t want to waste the talent we’ve created here over the last 30 years.”