Systems Delta 88 Rolls Out Comprehensive Training Program

Published March 20, 2026
By Lisa Sodders, SSC Public Affairs

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Satellite Communications (SATCOM) System Delta (SYD 88) has launched a comprehensive new training program to develop the acquisition skillset of its new personnel, providing them with the knowledge needed to make important programmatic decisions.

The new training program serves as a model for other SYDs and acquisition organizations interested in rapidly engaging their growing workforce and accelerating individual and team capabilities to deliver. In SYD 88, all new military and civilian personnel participate in the structured development path that includes a 30-day in-house Mission Qualification Training certification, a follow-on immersion visit to Mission Delta 8 at Schriever Space Force Base, and long-term 60-, 90- and 180-day milestones to ensure these space-minded warfighter acquisition professionals have a clear professional development plan tied to mission needs.

Col. Andrew Menschner, deputy commander for SSC, praised the effort, calling it a “great win” and exactly the kind of personnel development effort that SYDs should pursue. He shared that when he first came to what was then known as Space and Missile Systems Center, to work on the GPS program, he found himself learning the details of the program on the fly, which gave him the perspective to see the great value in a dedicated acquisition training program.

The idea for this training program was developed when Col. A.J. Ashby, commander of SYD 88, served as the senior materiel leader for the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications (ESS) program and encountered junior personnel who were unfamiliar with significant program documents, such as the Acquisition Strategies, Acquisition Decisions memorandums, Capability Development and other related acquisition-related documents. He likened them to operational technical orders.

Col. Ashby established a Nuclear Command, Control and Communications (NC3) acquisition certification program to ensure all personnel in the ESS program could confidently brief senior personnel on the program to the same degree as a system program manager.

“We have a lot of junior acquisition teammates working within the SATCOM portfolio, who don't necessarily know the ‘why’ behind what we do,” Ashby said. “I asked my teammates to look at what we did with ESS, understanding it through the lens of how we can improve and expand that training program, to ensure our acquirers throughout SYD 88 have some operational relevance to their very complex and nuanced acquisition tradecraft.”

“We’re here to be acquisition professionals, so we’ve got to be fluent in the world of acquisition, but that’s not enough anymore – we must be conversant in the world of operations, too,” Ashby said.

Ashby said the training program is rigorous by design: history has shown that not everyone will pass the certification test on their first try. The intensity is designed to prepare personnel for the real-world challenges of accelerated space warfighting acquisitions.

“The first 30 days is focused on knowing your program and how it supports the national security strategy, national defense strategy, national military strategy – and there’s an exam on that,” said Brian Collier, a retired Naval commander who is leading the training along with Jeff Ossman, retired U.S. Air Force.

“And then, once they reach Day 30, all reading and exams must be successfully completed in order to schedule time with commander Col. Ashby and his acquisition leadership team to complete the mission ratings brief,” Collier explained.

The first cohort of eight Guardians started the training in Jan. of this year and the first certification briefing was successfully completed in late February. Once cohort members have completed all their tasks and successfully delivered their certification briefing, they are eligible to wear SYD 88’s mission ready certification patch.

For Lt. Austin Helms, the first officer to complete the new Mission Qualification Training (MQT), the initiative was a pivotal experience that crystallized his role and purpose within the program.

"This training provided me with a profound understanding of not just the mechanics of my job, but the fundamental 'why' behind our mission,” Helms said. “It forged a direct link between core acquisition principles and my responsibilities within the program office.”

“Presenting my findings to leadership was a valuable opportunity to showcase my knowledge and receive clear, actionable feedback, which affirmed their confidence in my capabilities,” Helms added. “The challenging questions they posed were crucial; they solidified the importance of our work and the critical part I play in the mission's success.”

Capt. Lesley Dalger, PTS-G Lead, X-Band IPT, who is currently participating in the program, said, “The SYD 88 MQT program cultivates the junior force in a structured and focused manner. It’s not just about learning tasks; it’s about understanding the “why” behind the mission, thus creating a more competent, capable, and motivated force for the future.”

MSgt. Terielle Wilhite, senior enlisted leader for SYD 88, said she has been working with Sgt. D’Shaune Hemingway, a satellite vehicle operator with the 4^th Space Operations Squadron (SOPS) at Mission Delta 8, to solidify plans to send the first 10 cohort members to visit Schriever in April, for classroom instruction and to gain first-hand experience with the operational mission.

“You can't truly understand the operational environment from a presentation slide; you have to see it for yourself on the floor,” Wilhite said. “This immersion is designed to give our acquirers true operational fluency. They see the nuances of the mission firsthand and learn the operators’ language, which is critical for translating requirements into effective capability.”

“This entire effort is built on partnership, and that’s especially true at the enlisted level,” Wilhite added. “Working with Sgt. Hemingway and MD 8 has been incredible. It shows how the Non Commissioned Officer corps can bridge organizational seams to get things done. We’re not just building a training plan; we’re building relationships that will make both our acquisition and operations teams stronger.”

And the program doesn’t end there. The 60-day segment of the program focuses on acquisition/program management skills and includes several Warfighting Acquisition University (WAU) courses. The focus of the 90-day milestone is on systems engineering skills and includes more reading and DAU courses. From 91 to 180 days, participants will focus on Space Force doctrine and policy.

In addition to the MD 8 immersion, Guardians in the program will also visit the Pentagon, to meet with their program’s Program Element Monitor (PEM).

Ashby said Guardians in the cohort will be surveyed at several points during the program to give feedback, and organizers are already looking for ways to make the document-heavy portion of the training more interactive.

“Simultaneously, participants are doing this while they’re working,” Ashby said. “They have full-time jobs. We’re not taking people out of the acquisition cycle to train. We’ve designed this program to make them better throughout the day.”

SYD 88 supports SSC’s Military Communications and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Program Executive Office. Its mission is to develop and present resilient, ready, combat-credible acquisition forces to deliver asymmetric all-domain SATCOM superiority across the conflict continuum.

SSC System Deltas (SYDs) are specialized organizational units designed to consolidate, design, develop, and deliver mission-specific space capabilities. SYDs are the acquisition counterpart to the Combat Forces Command’s (CFC) operational Mission Deltas.