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The United States Space Force’s 11th Space Warning Squadron (11th SWS) has been named the inaugural recipient of the General Atomics United States Space Force Unit of the Year Award for 2024, recognising its exceptional contributions to missile warning and global threat detection.
The announcement was made by General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) earlier this week, following an initial award presentation at the Air and Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium held in March 2025. A full unit-wide ceremony took place in June at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado, where the squadron is based.
The 11th SWS, known as the “Knights”, operates advanced missile warning satellites, including the Defense Support Program and Space Based Infrared System platforms.
These assets are critical to providing strategic and theatre-level missile warnings, battlespace awareness, missile defence support and technical intelligence to both US and allied forces.
The award was created in partnership with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and the United States Space Force to honour tactical-level Space Force units led by field-grade officers (O-4 or O-5 rank) for outstanding performance in advancing the service’s mission to secure national interests in, from, and to space.
In 2024, the 11th SWS stood out for its extraordinary operational tempo and vigilance in the face of a dramatically increased threat environment. According to GA-EMS president Scott Forney, the unit responded to a 160 per cent increase in global missile and threat detection events compared to previous years.
“This newly created annual award is to recognise the core values of commitment, courage, connection and character exemplified by all guardians,” Forney said.
While the award is a US-based recognition, the role of units like the 11th SWS has global implications. With growing missile proliferation and heightened geopolitical tensions in regions such as the Indo-Pacific, Australia benefits significantly from the real-time, space-based intelligence provided by systems operated by units like the 11th SWS.
Australia’s defence relationship with the United States, underpinned by the Pine Gap joint facility and broader space domain cooperation under AUKUS Pillar II, relies heavily on these types of strategic capabilities.
The work of the 11th SWS feeds directly into shared early warning systems that are critical to regional stability and deterrence posture.
The establishment of such awards reflects the maturing identity of the Space Force as a standalone military branch and the increasing institutional recognition of space as a warfighting domain, a trend that Australia is watching closely as it continues to develop its own Defence Space Command and considers expanding sovereign missile warning and tracking capabilities.
