ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam - Wanted: Army company commander interested in defending one of the most important ballistic missile defense sites in the United States Pacific Command region.

Must be able to integrate daily with Soldiers from other Army branches and joint services. Must be capable of planning innovative unit-level training with abundant resources and minimal distraction. Must be prepared to observe his or her unit significantly increase its overall readiness while serving in a tropical paradise.

While this wanted ad is fictional, the opportunity is genuine. Since April 2013, several units from different Army branches have deployed on four-to-six-month rotations to protect the high value Terminal High Altitude Area Defense equipment on Site Armadillo, Northwest Field, Guam. A small headquarters element, an air defense battery that operates THAAD, a security forces (SECFOR) company, and a signal detachment make up Task Force Talon, home to the first and only forward deployed THAAD weapon system. The task force is a provisional unit of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, which is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

As one SECFOR commander discovered, the mission for Talon Soldiers is real.

"I think the realism of the mission became clear as North Korea began making more threats during our tour," explained Capt. Dan Lessard, commander, Company C, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. "We knew before arriving that the mission was important, but as we spent more time there...our Soldiers understood just how important we were to the nation's security strategy."

While the mission remains enduring, relevant, and is often shaped by forces outside the control of anyone in the task force, the training opportunities on Guam are only bound by the limits of the commander's imagination.

"The mission on Guam allowed us the ability to create and execute a deliberate training plan, focused on squad and below fundamentals, unhindered by conflicts encountered at home station," explains current SECFOR commander, Capt. Cory Hanson, commander, Company D, 2nd Bn., 3rd Inf. Regt., 1-2 Stryker Bde., 7th Inf. Div. "The opportunity to build training plans and packages from concept through execution is invaluable for young leaders."

"We used the [Commando Warrior] communications training facility to train our platoon [radio operators] in a three-day course, we conducted our own combatives level 1 in their combatives facility, we conducted counter-IED (improvised explosive device) training ..., and we conducted patrolling / MOUT [military operations on urban training] training using their wooded training area and MOUT village," said Lessard. "We couldn't ask for a better set of training resources."

Another previous SECFOR company commander, Capt. Joshua Geis, commander, Company D, 2nd Bn., 27th Inf. Regt., 3rd Bde. Combat Team, 25th Inf. Div. took the SECFOR training to an unprecedented level. He planned an air insertion operation with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron TWO FIVE (HSC-25), the Navy's only forward deployed MH-60S expeditionary squadron, which is also stationed on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

The mission coordinator for HSC-25, Navy Lt. Michael Newell said the joint training opportunity allowed the HSC "to practice some...larger scale troop movements and convoy escort operations. "Additionally, joint ops are always great as it provides all players a unique look into how the other services operate, from planning to mission execution. HSC-25 is looking forward to building additional training to match up with future [SECFOR] exercises."

In addition to the real-world mission and training opportunities, Guam presents an opportunity for Soldiers to visit a beautiful location that is culturally unique and historically significant in many respects.

"The Soldiers were able to explore the natural beauty of the island," shared Hanson. "They gained a better understanding of the Chamorro culture and the importance of the island during World War II." "Several Soldiers became certified SCUBA divers," added Lessard. If all this sounds like an opportunity for you, sign up today!