ICBM security forces deploy every four days

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Gino Mattorano
  • Air Force Space Command Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (AFPN) --  Security forces Airmen here and at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., and Malmstrom AFB, Mont., constantly deploy but not overseas. Their deployments are to the nation's IBM fields. These Airmen provide security for the U.S. ICBM arsenal around the clock, 365 days a year.

The missiles they guard are spread over thousands of square miles of central and north central United States. Because of this wide area, the security forces typically remain at their deployed locations four days at a time.

"Their truly awesome and complex mission (of) protecting the nation's most powerful nuclear weapon systems has them fully deployed every day across 45,000 square miles of [the] austere missile complex,” said Col. Ken Van Sickle, 20th Air Force vice commander.

“Their daily deployments to the missile fields help provide the top cover that allows (air and space expeditionary forces) to operate around the globe,” he said. “Because of their vital force-protection mission at their home bases, ICBM security forces are no longer tasked with worldwide AEF deployments. This critical decision was made at the assistant to the secretary of defense-level in November 2001.”

"There is no question that we deploy here in the missile field," said 1st Lt. John Schaible, a flight commander with the 91st Missile Security Forces Squadron. "The difference between this and a typical deployment is that here, the deployments last throughout your tour. A major challenge for us is to keep our people motivated for such an extended period of time."

Regardless of what is going on in the world, the ICBM force remains on alert, deterring aggression against America, and the security forces assigned to the missile field maintain a constant vigil.

"The outstanding men and women of the 91st Security Forces Group are one of the best representations of 'service before self' you will ever witness," said Col. Jimmy McMillian, 91st Security Forces Group commander. "They work in a very demanding environment protecting our nation's most lethal arsenal, and their performance has to be perfect every time. The security of America and its allies is very much dependant on the security of our assets that protect our national interests."

Whether the Airmen are assigned to a missile alert facility or a mobile fire team, or they are providing security for a missile maintenance team, security forces spend every four days in the field, living and working together. Between deployments, they normally have three days off, followed by a day of training -- then it starts all over again.

"I've deployed to many different places in my career," said Staff Sgt. Barbara Barron, a flight security controller assigned to the 91st MSFS. "The challenge here is having to do it every four days. If you're single, it's almost impossible to have a pet, and it seems like I spend a lot of my off-duty time catching up on all the things I couldn't do while I was out in the field. One big advantage here is that the conditions we live and work under in the missile field are much better than they are at a forward area."

The security forces group here is divided up into two squadrons responsible for providing security for 15 missile alert facilities and 150 launch facilities spread throughout North Dakota’s prairie land.

Department of Defense policy requires 100-percent manning for the missile field, so unless manning is more than 100 percent, there are no extra people to support other operations, whether people are willing to deploy or not.

"Our guys would love the opportunity to deploy (overseas)," said Tech. Sgt. James Landiss, a flight chief with the 91st MSFS. "Generally, we struggle to maintain adequate manning levels for our operations here, so if we had to deploy people to forward areas, we wouldn't have enough people here to sustain our operations."

An average flight has approximately 38 people, according to Landiss. Flight schedulers need 32 people to support the alert facilities at any given time, and that does not leave a lot of extra people to work with.

"At any given time, we have up to five people who can't work for some reason or another," said Landiss. "It could be for medical reasons, or qualifications, or any number of things, but that doesn't leave us any extra people. That's just one flight. If you look at that on a larger scale, we just can't afford to deploy people away from the base."

The 91st MSFS is primarily responsible for providing security to missile alert facilities, or MAFs, and for responding to alarms at the missile launch facilities. Each MAF is a "home away from home" for approximately six security forces members, a facility manager, a chef and a two-person missile launch crew, who are responsible for 10 ICBMs. The crew relies on security forces to be their "eyes and ears" at the MAF and at each of the launch facilities to ensure the safety and security of the missiles.

The 791st MSFS here is divided into two main elements. The first is made up of mobile fire teams and convoy teams. Fire teams are deployed to various MAFs to be prepared to respond to hostile action against a missile launch site.

The second element is responsible for providing security on launch facilities undergoing maintenance and for providing security for launch facilities that have alarm malfunctions and cannot be left unguarded. Special camper teams are required to remain at the launch facility until the alarm is repaired.

"We rely on the cops to verify what our alarm messages tell us," said 1st Lt. James Ware, a missile crew commander with the 740th Missile Squadron. "When we get an alarm message from a launch site, they investigate it for us and ensure that no one is attempting to gain access to the site. We've never had a nuclear weapon stolen in our nation's history, and it's our cops who make certain of that."