F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Twentieth Air Force achieved a significant milestone in June with the successful execution of the first Instructor Qualification Course under the newly re-established Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Center of Excellence, or ICE. Held from June 2-6, 2025, the course marked a pivotal moment in enhancing instructional standards across the ICBM enterprise.
“The future of our deterrent force depends on the strength of our instructors,” said Maj. Gen. Stacy Jo Huser, 20 AF commander. “The ICE sharpens our competitive edge by developing professionals who are ready to train, mentor and lead across every aspect of the ICBM mission.”
Bringing the ICE back after its retirement in 2019 began with a recommendation from the 20 AF Operations Cross Functional Team final report to address concerns about instructor development and standardize training across 20 AF’s missile wings. The revamped ICE seeks to improve the proficiency of the crew force by providing new instructors and evaluators the foundation they need to continually hone the proficiency of 20 AF Airmen.
This isn’t new territory for the ICE, which was originally established in 2001. At its peak, the first iteration of the ICE was accredited by the Community College of the Air Force and had its own unit designator, the 620th Missile Operations Flight. In an effort to empower lower-level leaders and provide greater flexibility to unit leaders to train their operators, 20 AF de-activated the ICE in 2019.
In the years since, ICBM leaders learned they still value this decentralization but also understand the need to provide standardized instructor and evaluator training as a foundation from which to execute the mission with the greatest proficiency. While the revamp of the ICE may not return to CCAF accreditation and a formal unit designator, its initial cadre is borrowing much from the original charter.
“The current plan is to have staff officers assigned to operations, security forces and maintenance teach courses that correlate with their expertise and current positions on staff,” said Lt. Col. Thomas McKnight, 20AF chief of training, test and evaluations. “This ensures instructors and course material are relevant and have a synergistic effect with current staff efforts.”
The inaugural week-long instructor course included three days of classroom academics on instructional fundamentals, lesson planning and presentation techniques. The course culminated in practical teaching sessions where candidates instructed on diverse skill sets, followed by ICBM-specific lectures.
“The students were exceptional, and I received great feedback on how to make the course even better in the future,” said Maj. Timothy “TIG” Dominice, 20 AF IMA to the branch chief, weapons, tactics and training. “The instructor candidates enjoyed and learned a lot from the course.”
The class featured 11 students from across the ICBM enterprise. Feedback from the course was positive, with participants praising both the structure of the course and its impact on their instructional confidence.
“As a certified instructor, I have already gone through a local instructor certification course, yet I still found 20 AF’s ICE IQT course a great experience in fine-tuning my instructor skills,” said Capt. Ashlyn Murray, 320th Missile Squadron instructor. “The opportunity to learn in an environment that integrated all three wings was a fantastic experience, and the level of instruction was exceptional.”
The ICE program has future instructor and evaluator courses planned for fiscal year 2026 for all three mission areas – operations, security forces and maintenance -- to educate Airmen from across 20 AF’s three missile wings.
As 20 AF continues to meet strategic deterrence challenges, the ICE program stands as a symbol of continued investment in proficiency and lethality.