Linebacker of the Week: Tech. Sgt. Lucas Mitchell

  • Published
  • By U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Kaitlyn Preston
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Lucas Mitchell, the noncommissioned officer in charge of intel mission operations with the 36th Contingency Response Support Squadron, was recognized as the 36th Wing’s Team Andersen Linebacker of the Week, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 25, 2022.

The Team Andersen Linebacker of the Week recognizes outstanding enlisted, officer, civilian and total force personnel who have had an impact on achieving Team Andersen’s Mission, Vision and Priorities.

Mitchell serves as the lead for intelligence operations supporting the 36th Contingency Response Group. He and his team provide all-source intelligence analysis within the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility. They work in support of taskings for humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, contingency operations and building partnership capacity.

“It’s a good feeling to know that the intelligence my teams, current and prior, have provided has led to direct battlefield effects,” Mitchell said. “We see the impact of tactical, operational and strategic decisions daily.”

He also developed a threat brief for the Indo-Pacific region directed toward Silver Flag attendees that identified 15 new threats and advanced near-peer capabilities. He briefed 100 service members across seven bases in the region with real world readiness vulnerabilities and advantages.

Working with three intelligence community organizations across the Pacific Air Forces Command, Mitchell established standard operating procedures and created the first baseline multi-organization debriefs, advancing worldwide incident response within the career field. Additionally, Mitchell collaborated with the 36th Operations Support Squadron to execute five threat briefs to almost 500 military and civilian personnel.

During Cope North 2022, Mitchell led a multi-national task force for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief intel. For this exercise, he directed mission briefs, handled requests for information and integrated U.S. and Australian contingency response capabilities.

“He is constantly striving to improve and develop,” U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Sarah Wagstaff, the 36 CRSS intel flight chief, said. “Mitchell’s work ethic and professionalism exemplifies what the Air Force needs in a noncommissioned officer.”

The term Linebacker is rooted deep within Team Andersen’s history. Operation Linebacker II took place on Dec. 18, 1972, and was the largest number of heavy bomber strikes launched by the U.S. Air Force since the end of World War II. During the operation, B-52s from Andersen flew round-the-clock bombing missions over North Vietnam to destroy major targets in Hanoi and Haiphong in an effort to bring the Democratic Republic of Vietnam back to negotiations.

The recipient will have the opportunity to sign a “Linebacker” football jersey that will be displayed in the Wing Headquarters building.

Way to go, Mitchell!