91OG Airman selected for top AFGSC program

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Apryl Hall
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Capt. Romonte Sullivan, 91st Operations Group executive officer, was recently chosen to be part of an elite program offered only to the best of the best in the missileer career field.

The Striker Pathfinder Program is a three-year internship at Air Force Global Strike Command headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. A single missileer, usually a captain, is hand-picked for the position; a position that offers rare insight and mentorship to young officers.

“We have special programs for the 13N community,” Sullivan said. “Things like Striker Trident or Pathfinder. They’re highly competitive programs.”

Upon applying for the programs, the nearly 20 missileers met a board, where their packages were rated and ordered. Sullivan was fortunate enough to be put in the top spot.

“Pathfiinder only had one spot available, it’s kind of like the highest program and I was selected for that one,” he said. “It was kind of breathtaking.”

Sullivan is no stranger to standing out. During his nearly six years at Minot AFB, he’s been a flight commander, part of the standardization and evaluations team, was a distinguished graduate at squadron officer school, and now holds an executive officer job for the 91st OG Commander Col. Stacy Huser.

“Captain Sullivan was selected for this program because he is recognized in the 13N community as one of our strongest technical experts,” Huser said, “More than that, he was selected because leadership sees in him what we all see here at the 91st Ops Group. He’s someone with a natural ability to lead and mentor others, who is humble, and the guy people seek out when they have a question or problem.”

Sullivan’s time as an executive officer has been a learning experience he knows will help benefit his career in the long-run, he said.

“I’m in all the leadership meetings, so I learn the bigger picture of things,” Sullivan said. “I see why decisions are made and how decisions are made. For a young officer like me, it’s very eye-opening and prepares me for the future, to be an actual leader myself.”

Despite holding several high-visibility jobs within the career field, Sullivan admits it’s simply his passion for the job that makes people notice his work.

“The mission is an amazing mission, something a lot of people don’t even know exists,” Sullivan said. “I show up to work every day and I do my job with a smile on my face every single day. As far as standing out, I think that’s what makes me stand out.”

Sullivan applied for the program in June of 2015 and found out he was accepted shortly after, but the anticipation to begin the program hasn’t died down over the past year.

“It feels amazing,” Sullivan said. “To be chosen for this, it means you did something right and someone noticed. To me, it was kind of reaffirmation I’m doing my job right.”

During his three-year internship, Sullivan will be a part of the future operations division and branch, which focuses on bringing new programs like the new GBSD, cruise missile and B-21 into fruition. Although the future conceptions part of the job is exciting for Sullivan, he said he mostly looks forward to working with AFGSC leadership.

“To be in a room with those individuals, and you get to see their decision-making process, I think that’s going to be the best part of the job,” Sullivan said. “The mentorship opportunity is the best part.”

After the program, Sullivan hopes to take everything he learned over the next three years and apply them to whatever assignment comes next. He said he’s excited to have insight on the future of the 13N career field, and to be bred as a successful leader. He’ll do it all without changing who he is.

“Just be yourself,” Sullivan said. “No one can be you like you are. I think that will take a lot of people far, whatever their career is, just be yourself. That’s my thing to live by.”