20th Air Force relaunches ICBM training centre with first Instructor Qualification Course

The ICE was originally created in 2001, later accredited by the Community College of the Air Force, and operated as the 620th Missile Operations Flight before its deactivation in 2019. Its revival followed recommendations from the 20th Air Force Operations Cross Functional Team to strengthen instructor development and standardise training across missile wings.

According to Lt. Col. Thomas McKnight, 20th Air Force chief of training, test and evaluations, “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. This ensures instructors and course material are relevant and have a synergistic effect with current staff efforts.” The redesigned ICE focuses on providing instructors and evaluators with the skills needed to maintain and improve crew proficiency.

The weeklong inaugural course featured three days of classroom training on instructional fundamentals, lesson planning and presentation techniques, followed by practical teaching sessions and 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 Dominice, 20th Air Force individual mobilization augmentee to the branch chief, weapons, tactics and training.

The class included 11 students from across the ICBM enterprise, who responded positively to both the course content and delivery. “As a certified instructor, I have already gone through a local instructor certification course, yet I still found 20th Air Force’s ICE initial qualification training 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 programme is set to continue in fiscal year 2026 with instructor and evaluator courses for operations, security forces and maintenance, aimed at educating Airmen from all three missile wings of 20th Air Force.