Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
11/14/2014
Aligning with Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James’ call earlier this month to “institutionalize” the morale-boosting philosophy behind Global Strike Command’s Force Improvement Program (FIP), the command has formed its first ever specialized team for maintenance of launch control centers (LCCs), and has restructured its rotation model for missile officers. The Air Force established the upkeep of LCCs as a priority separate from missile and launch facility maintenance, with the creation of the Survivable Systems Team (SST) within Malmstrom AFB’s 341st Maintenance Group, according to a Nov. 12 press release. Command leadership has approved the establishment of SSTs at Malmstrom, Minot and F.E. Warren air force bases, each of which has been authorized six personnel to form teams. The command has also set aside $300,000 for tools and equipment for the SST’s.
Along with the teams’ main task to maintain LCC’s, the group also periodically inspects self-contained breathing apparatuses owned by missile maintenance crews. Malmstrom’s SST currently comprises five members. “Because we have so few people in the shop, this allows us to build a stronger team,” the release quoted Tech. Sgt. Robert Jovin, trainer for Malmstrom’s SST, as saying. “We’re dispatching with the same group every day. Everyone is receiving the same training and you have the same communications, so the job is being done the same way every time.” The team is remodeling a base building, where it will install equipment and computers collected from other shops, the release states. “It’s kind of a new thing for everybody because we’re a completely new section,” the release quoted Tech. Sgt. Sheldon Mason, the noncommissioned officer in charge of Malmstrom’s SST, as saying. “Standing up a new section isn’t something that comes along very often.”
New Occupational Rotations Across 20th Air Force
In addition to the formation of SSTs for underground launch control centers, the FIP has produced a new career rotation model that will allow missileers to master weapon systems before serving as instructors, evaluators and/or flight commanders, according to a separate Nov. 12 command release. Under the new “3+3” model, missileers will hone their proficiency with weapon systems for three years before moving on to the next three-year assignment whereby they will guide and mentor missileers in their first assignment.
“3+3” will involve a cross-flow of personnel between missile wings, and replaces a previous model which consisted of a four- to five-year rotation in which inexperienced missileers were sometimes put in positions to instruct or evaluate more senior officers, the release states. “The ‘3+3’ model was visualized by a team comprised of members from the missile units, 20th Air Force Headquarters and AFGSC Headquarters,” the release quoted Maj. Ray Vann, lead for intercontinental ballistic missile operations at the command’s Applied Capabilities Office. “The team identified a need for increased focus on field operations experience. In the past the focus was to become an instructor or evaluator, leading to less experienced people in critical positions. This model increases operations experience for the crewforce. The field shaped the model to address the issues.”
James: Focus on ‘Institutionalized’ Changes
Speaking Nov. 5, in Bossier City, La., at the command’s annual Global Strike Challenge, James said airmen need to internalize the intensive FIP philosophy to continue the 20th Air Force on an upward trajectory. She also noted that after the Malmstrom cheating scandal came to light in March, just a few weeks into her tenure, she toured command bases and found pronounced shortages—from undermanning to a lax culture for accountability—within the nuclear enterprise. “We had shortages throughout our Air Force, but it seemed to me to be particularly intense within the nuclear enterprise,” she said. “Somewhere along the line we took our eye off the ball. We’re not going to take our eye off the ball this time. We need to institutionalize these changes to make sure that they endure because ultimately this is on all of you and you need to own these changes and you need to make them happen and endure.”
James announced earlier this year that her service had redirected $500 million to the nuclear enterprise. “That’s a done deal. We’ve already announced it,” she said, noting that more money could be forthcoming. “We’ve talked about it publicly in the past, but I will predict to you there’s more to follow. So I would stay tuned.” Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, vice commander of U.S. Strategic Command, also spoke at Global Strike Challenge, and touted Airmen for bringing about FIP changes. “The measure that matters is results. Some of those include revamped personnel reliability program processes; improved security force tactics, techniques and procedures; changes to the evaluation and inspection process; the redirecting of more than $500 million towards facility sustainment, bomber and missile operations support, launch control center refurbishment and updated security,” he said.
