CMSSF, Polaris Award recipients discuss importance of Guardian Values

Published Feb. 26, 2026
By Jay Krasnow
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

AURORA, Colo. (AFNS) -- Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna hosted a panel discussion to highlight the achievements of the U.S. Space Force’s 2025 Polaris Award recipients at the Air and Space Forces Association’s 2026 Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Feb. 24.

U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, left, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna, right, pose with the 2025 Polaris Award service-level recipients during an awards ceremony at the Air Force Association’s Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., Feb. 23, 2026. The awards are based on the four Guardian Values of Character, Connection, Commitment and Courage. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Malia Heemsoth) — Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, left, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna, right, pose with the 2025 Polaris Award service-level recipients during an awards ceremony at the Air Force Association’s Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., Feb. 23, 2026. The awards are based on the four Guardian Values of Character, Connection, Commitment and Courage. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Malia Heemsoth)

The Polaris Awards are the Space Force’s recognition for Guardians that demonstrate exceptional Character, Connection, Commitment and Courage, in addition to a team award for a unit that exemplifies all four Guardian values.

The Character recipient, Maj. Adriane Payn, currently serves as the mission assurance lead for two of the nation’s premiere electro-optical satellites. When heading a review of manufacturing processes and part approval requests, Payn identified a critical defect in a software tool and coordinated to prevent its use, preserving one month of schedule and $300,000 in funds.

When asked how, in a service that must innovate at speed, Payn balances the pressures of rapid delivery with the requirement for flawless systems, she responded with a different perspective.

“For me, it’s not actually a question of speed versus quality,” Payn said. “It’s a character under pressure question.”

U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, left, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna, right, recognize Maj. Adriane Payn at the Air Force Association’s Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., Feb. 23, 2026. Payn was awarded the Character Award, one of four Guardian Values included in the Space Force’s annual Polaris Awards. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Malia Heemsoth) — Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, left, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna, right, recognize Maj. Adriane Payn at the Air Force Association’s Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., Feb. 23, 2026. Payn was awarded the Character Award, one of four Guardian Values included in the Space Force’s annual Polaris Awards. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Malia Heemsoth)

Payn noted that in the situation she faced, no part or system had failed yet — but she saw that if she didn’t act, there was a risk that one might. “There was nothing that had gone wrong, and that’s when character matters the most, because there was no one pushing us. We could have ignored it.”

Sgt. Michael Campos, 33rd Range and Aggressor Squadron at Schriever Space Force Base, embodied the value of Connection with his efforts to bridge the gap between the cyber and aerospace domains. He provided targeted training on Offensive Cyber operations tactics, preparing an eight-member team to participate in Space Flag 25-2, a key service-level exercise.

In discussing the achievement, Campos emphasized that when his unit provides cyber effects, it’s always with the goal of enabling a partner to perform their mission more effectively. “It’s easier to prepare against the attack than it is to bring a system back online after it has been compromised,” Campos said. “Demonstrating how important that is and watching space operators understand how interconnected cyber and space are, that’s one of the reasons I love my job.”

U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, left, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna, right, recognize Sgt. Michael Campos at the Air Force Association’s Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., Feb. 23, 2026. Campos was awarded the Connection Award, one of four Guardian Values included in the Space Force’s annual Polaris Awards. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Malia Heemsoth) — Sgt. Michael Campos is honored with the Connection Award by Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna at the Air Force Association’s Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., Feb. 23, 2026. The Connection Award is one of four Guardian Values included in the Space Force’s annual Polaris Awards. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Malia Heemsoth)

Spc. 4 Logan Pinder, 76th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, exemplified Commitment through a dedication to the timely intelligence that drives operations. Applying his self-taught automation programming skillset, he engineered a data converter that cut the processing time of an on-orbit sensor’s 80-gigabyte file from 100 hours to five minutes.

Bentivegna asked Pinder about the motivation behind his initiative. “What drove your personal commitment to teach yourself advanced programming?” Bentivegna asked.

Pinder said that he undertook this endeavor when he realized that it would cost an estimated $850,000 to outsource a solution to the problem. He asked his commander to give him an opportunity to solve the problem himself.

“It took me about three weeks to develop a program that cut the time, and as a result we started getting operational intelligence to the warfighter faster,” said Pinder.

The recipient of the Courage award, 1st Lt. Robert Bartkowiak, serves as a member of the 3rd Test and Evaluation Squadron, Schriever SFB. He earned the award in recognition of his efforts to push the boundaries of test through calculated risk, leading to the discovery of a new system capability and the revival of a dormant $10 million satellite for test and evaluation.

Bentivegna asked Bartkowiak to walk through his thought process of assuming risk when facing uncertain outcomes.

“It’s easy to show up to the job and say, ‘No, we’re not going to take that risk; this is just a test.’” Bartkowiak said. “I think it’s hard to approach the situation and say, I want to take the risk so that the warfighter doesn’t.”

First Lt. Cristian Montelongo and Tech Sgt. Robert Powell, Team Archer, 37th Tactical Intelligence Squadron, Peterson SFB, represented their unit for the Team Excellence Award.

When asked to share an example of learning from all four Guardian values to overcome a challenge, Montelongo reflected on his unit’s requirement to teach newer Guardians to quickly and confidently complete advanced analysis.

“We have had to lean on each other and our core values to be able to coach them,” Montelongo said. “When I think about courage, it’s asking these fresh specialists, right out of tech school, to own their mission. ‘We’re going to give you this problem set, and you are the expert on it. We are going to trust you to do this.’ We’ll give you the right and left boundaries, but other than that, it’s up to you.”
To close the panel, Bentivegna asked the Polaris Award recipients what advice they had for Guardians who want to make a difference.

“Understand and own your mission; it’s the small things from that point,” Payn said. “A lot of the things that I did with my team were small changes.”
Powell agreed. “Major Payn read my mind. It is those small things that make a difference. Those incremental changes and improvements every day,” Powell said.

“Having that courage to really take on those challenges and not being afraid to fail forward is a great mindset to have,” Montelongo added.