Senior Airman Kendra A. Ransum, 5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

U.S. Air Force Capt. Shane Knowles, 91st Operations Support Squadron assistant director of operations and wing weapons officer, poses for a photo at the 91st Missile Wing headquarters on Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, April 23, 2025. Knowles was named U.S. Strategic Command’s Company Grade Officer of the Year in recognition of supervising the wing’s weapon system instruction programs and operations training for 240 crew and staff officers. Knowles’ duties include leading the wing’s tactics program and advising the wing commander on tactics, techniques and procedures for intercontinental ballistic missile operations, security forces, helicopter crews and maintainers. A key initiative of Knowles’ was reframing the mindset of training within the Weapons and Tactics shop and the Operations Group to increase preparedness and readiness in the era of Great Power competition.