BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- February was a busy month for Air Force Global Strike Command’s test program with laser-and GPS-guided precision munitions exercise, a Simulated Electronic Launch Minuteman test and two unarmed MMIII test launches showcasing the command’s flexibility and deterrence options.
With multiple nations either currently in possession of nuclear weapons or believed to be attempting to develop them, nuclear deterrence operations and long-range strike capabilities continue to be essential to the United States' national defense strategy in the 21st century. Conducting regular tests of the weapon systems allows the command to continue providing security and stability for the U.S. and its allies.
Combat Hammer
B-52 aircrews from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, North Dakota, participated in Combat Hammer Feb. 8-10, a week-long air-to-ground training exercise. The aircrews flew to and from Minot AFB, dropping laser-guided GBU-12 and GPS-guided GBU-38 bombs on moving targets at the Eglin Test and Training Complex Range at Eglin AFB, Florida.
"Combat Hammer allows Air Force leaders to understand the effectiveness they can expect from the weapons systems they will take to combat," said Maj. Mike Middents, 5th Bomb Wing Director of Staff. "The evaluation identifies where planners and operators might expect issues in weapons employment. The evaluation also builds confidence in all personnel engaged in the event as they see how their weapons loads and flying result in effectively hitting the target."
Exercises like Combat Hammer allow evaluators to assess the employment of various conventional munitions used by the B-52 from storage through impact. Under realistic combat scenarios, members gain experience in the capability to build, load and employ weapon systems.
"We exercise to ensure we are able to hit a target that the Air Force tells us to hit, with weapons they tell us to use, at a time they want it to be hit," said Maj. Ryan Cox, 5th Operations Support Squadron chief of wing scheduling. "The exercise evaluates everything from building the bomb, to loading the bomb, to planning the sortie, to dropping the weapon, to hitting the target. Exercises like Combat Hammer give the Air Force metrics on how well the weapon works, as well as how well the operations group and maintenance group work together to get the weapon onto the target."
SELM
Airmen with the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, conducted their own realistic combat scenario on Feb. 9 by participating in a Simulated Electronic Launch-Minuteman test on location.
SELM serves as an electronic test without the actual launch and simulates the procedures that missileers would implement during a real-world scenario.
“We’re a 24/7 force, and we’re just making sure we’re ready to go,” said 1st Lt. Pamela Blanco-Coca, a 319th Missile Squadron missile combat crew commander and one of the two missile crews conducting the operation portion of the SELM. “People think launching is as simple as pressing a red button, but it’s much more complicated.”
A SELM tests the weapon system and communication from launch control centers, where missileers monitor and control the system, to and from launch facilities, which house the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. Maintenance Airmen configure the missiles for testing and revert the missiles back to operational status when the SELM is complete.
More than 200 wing personnel from the 90th Maintenance Group, 90th Security Forces Group, 90th Operations Group, 576th Flight Test Squadron, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, 625th Strategic Operations Squadron and 85th Engineering Installation Squadron were involved in the test.
Minuteman III Test Launches
To wrap up the month, members of Air Force Global Strike Command’s missile community participated in two unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile operational test launches, the first on Feb. 20, and the second on Feb. 25, validating the safety, security and reliability of the Minuteman III ICBM force.
This first launch tested the Air Launch Control System, where the command to launch was given by an Air Force crew aboard the U.S. Strategic Command Airborne Command Post Navy E-6B aircraft. The launch crew members were from the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron at Offutt AFB, Nebraska.
“The ALCS plays an important role for the MMIII ICBM weapon system because we provide survivable secondary launch capability,” said Capt. Israel Remo, ALCS Test Manager for the Feb. 20 launch. “If the ground crews lose connectivity with their missiles, we have the ability to prepare a missile for launch, enable a missile to receive launch commands, launch missiles, and we can inhibit a launch. We can also help bridge any communication gaps if the ground crews lose communication with other capsules.”
Remo said the launches are important, because they validate the weapon system’s ability to provide launch capability, and it was a rare opportunity for his team.
“Typically there is one airborne launch scheduled per year, so to be able to participate in this test launch was an awesome opportunity for my team,” he said. “Some missileers are fortunate to conduct a test launch from 60 feet underground, but not too many missileers can say that they got to launch an ICBM from a jet that was 30,000 feet in altitude.”
Remo added that a lot of work goes into preparing for an ALCS launch, such as coordinating with Navy Task Force 124 at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, working with the pilots to develop a flight plan, providing ALCS crew weapon system training for the crew, coordinating with Travis AFB, California, to ensure there is proper security, and close coordination with the 576th FLTS at Vandenberg AFB, California.
Planning for each mission begins more than a year in advance, with a missile selected at random from either F.E. Warren AFB, Malmstrom AFB, Montana, or Minot AFB.
For the recent launches, both missiles were selected and pulled from Minot AFB and shipped to Vandenberg AFB months before the task force showed up on station.
1st Lt. Tyler Schochenmaier, a generation flight commander with the 91st Missile Maintenance Squadron, served as the maintenance officer in charge for the recent launches.
“Preparations begin five-plus months in advance of the launch date,” he said. “Maintenance teams are selected on merit, task qualification/certification, and availability.
Schochenmaier said for him, the most rewarding thing about participating in a MMIII launch is “taking maintenance teams halfway across the country to do what we do every single day at Minot AFB. We provide and maintain a combat ready nuclear deterrent for the President of the United States.”
Among those in attendance at the Feb. 25 launch were Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Gen. Paul Selva and U.S. Strategic Command commander Adm. Cecil Haney. During a press conference prior to the launch, Work stressed how critical Minuteman III test launches are to the nation’s deterrence capability.
“It’s a signal to anyone who has nuclear weapons that we are prepared to use nuclear weapons in defense of our country, if necessary,” he said.
(Information and images courtesy of 5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs, 30th Space Wing Public Affairs, 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs and Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs.)