Security Forces civilian tops the list

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jessica McConnell
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  A Team Minot civilian working for one of the base's largest squadrons, the 5th Security Forces Squadron, received the Air Force Global Strike Command award for Outstanding Security Forces Civilian Employee for the Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, 2011 award period.

Paul Sullivan, chief of 5th SFS Plans and Programs, was praised by Lt. Col. Travis Harsha, the 5th SFS commander, as being the best out of 50 civilians working for the squadron.

"He is the go-to nuclear security expert for the base commanders," said Harsha. "He flawlessly planned, scheduled, and executed a mass line badge reissue of more than 3,000 restricted area badges without disrupting the mission."

When asked why he thought he was nominated for the award, Sullivan said, "Because I was lucky enough to lead the weapon storage area physical security refresh project."

Sullivan is credited for saving the Air Force more than $100,000 by modifying the security blocks outside of the weapons storage area, and thereby reducing the project scope by 80 percent. Not just that, but he also orchestrated a rapid base pass to process flood victims during the 2011 Souris River flooding.

Many may not agree that Sullivan was so lucky to acquire such responsibilities, yet with all his accomplishments and undertakings, it's easy to understand why he was honored with such a prestigious award.

"I won this award because the men and women who work for me are the best," Sullivan continued. "Every day they strive to improve how we do business in protecting Minot Air Force Base personnel and its resources. They are not satisfied in just meeting standards. They want to be known as subject matter experts throughout the command."

His favorite part of the job is working with the men and women of the 5th SFS.

"Outside of deployments, these Airmen work the toughest job in the security forces career field in some of the harshest environments here at Minot, all while remaining proud and positive professionals."

As for how the award affects his motivation and drive, Sullivan was happy to be recognized, but also realizes that the hard work doesn't stop here.

"It feels great to be recognized, especially since I know every nominee for this award did fantastic things for their unit and base and deserve recognition," said Sullivan. "This award is simply recognition for all the work done this year. People should always challenge themselves and their people each day to move toward improvement."

This is Sullivan's first major command-level award. He has also been recognized as Minot's Category II Civilian of the Quarter for the second quarter in 2011. He was also selected as the 5th SFS Civilian of the Year for both 2007 and 2009.

Sullivan credits God for opportunities he's been given, as well as for the people who surround him. He also thanks his wife for her love, support and understanding.