Missile wing turns to Reservist to fill deputy commander position Published March 8, 2021 By Courtesy Writer: Rod Wilson, Northern Sentry, Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- When Col. Kristen Nemish, commander of the active-duty 91st Missile Wing’s Operations Group, here, looked to fill her vacant deputy commander position in November, she turned to an Air Force Reservist. The 91st OG is one of three Air Force operational missile units, equipped with the LGM-30G Minuteman-III intercontinental ballistic missile. The position became vacant when the previous deputy commander retired, and Nemish immediately started looking for someone with experience, who could work well with others and “could lead the way I think they should lead,” she said. When she couldn’t find what she was looking for within the active duty, she reached out to Lt. Col. Jaydee Burns, an Air Force Reservist assigned as an individual mobilization augmentee at Air Force Global Strike and is a civilian at the Air Force Nuclear Command Control and Communications Center at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. “The Reserve is an integrated, trained, ready force that can be brought up to support the active-duty mission,” Burns said. “This is the first time an Air Force Reservist has come up and filled the position as a deputy group commander on the ICBM Side. It’s something unique, something new.” Burns served on active duty for 15 years before switching over the Reserve three years ago. “The past few years, the Reserve has been helping to backfill the command community,” Burns said. “I serve on staff in Barksdale as an IMA (individual mobilization augmentee). The 91st Operations Group was looking for someone who was career-field specific with missile and leadership experience.” “It was happenstance that I got him,” Nemish said. “And I could not have landed anyone better. He has a phenomenal attitude.” Burns arrived in Minot in November and knew right away that the position offered him the opportunity for a unique learning experience. “I am able to lead and command, and get that experience over multiple groups,” he said. Nemish said Burns was a perfect fit. “I was in desperate need of having him here,” she said. “We are able to leverage a lot of his talents to fill the requirements of the 91st Operations Group. He was able to contribute immediately from a work load perspective, and I have the comfort of having him. I trust him to be me when I am not here. I didn’t realize how much I needed him until he got here.” “It’s been a great experience,” Burns said. “As a Reservist, you have to balance your civilian career with your Reserve career. As it worked out, it was perfect timing for my civilian job and for my family, so I was able to step up and fill the position.” Burns is scheduled to fill the deputy commander position until July. His wife and their six children remained in Bossier City, Louisiana, and at college. “I have a 22-year-old daughter who graduated in December as a third generation nurse,” he said. With today’s technology, we are able to do Zoom calls at least once a week, and sometimes more, to keep in touch. It’s kind of like being deployed.” Burns said he has enjoyed his time in North Dakota, including numerous hiking trips around the state. He encouraged people who are getting off of active duty to consider joining the Reserve. “If you want to stay here and have a tie in the community, why not serve in the Reserve part-time,” he said. “You are already trained and have the skill set. You can still be part of the mission, just not part of the mission every day.” (Story was originally published in Northern Sentry, Minot’s commercial enterprise newspaper and on the Minot AFB website. Minor edits were made by Air Force Reserve Command public affairs prior to posting here.)