A missile combat crew, is a team of highly trained specialists, often called missileers, manning Intermediate Range and Intercontinental ballistic missile systems. In the United States, men and women, officially coded as Nuclear and Missile Operations Officers, of the United States Air Force, operate underground missile systems at launch control centers located throughout the country. There are also a select few missileers that have the chance to become part of a Missile Combat Crew-Airborne operating the Airborne Launch Control System which provides a survivable launch capability for the Minuteman ICBM force. Crew size varied among the different missile systems, but the number was always greater than one, to abide by USSTRATCOM's Two-man rule for positive control of nuclear weapons.
Origins
First missile combat crews were composed of trained aviators, but later generations had no aviation experience and were "grown" to be missileers from the start of their careers. From the early days of United States missile crew operations until the late 1970s, the career field was closed to female personnel. Changes were implemented to allow for full female crews on both Titan II and Minuteman/Peacekeeper crews. In 1978 the restriction of having women on crew was lifted for the Titan ICBM. Recognizing the limitations in personnel scheduling, Strategic Air Command relieved restrictions on same-sex crew pairings, into "mixed" crews on January 1, 1988.
Training
Combat crew training consisted of three phases, Undergraduate Missile Training, Unit Qualification Training'', and recurring training. UMT was performed by the 4315th Combat Crew Training Squadron/392d Training Squadron at Vandenberg AFB, California and lasted 13 weeks. UQT/UOT was held at the missile base the personnel was assigned to, and conducted by local instructors, lasting three or four weeks. Recurring training happened continually on a monthly basis, and was conducted by local instructors.
Locations
Locations of United States missile launch complexes varied by system. Most launch control centers were built in population sparse locations, such as the Northern Tier, Midwest and the Southwest. Titan II sites were supported by Little Rock AFB in Arkansas, Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona, and McConnell AFB in Kansas. 18 Titan II Missile sites were supported by each base. Each missile complex was organized near a missile support base. Crews would gather on the base, receive briefings and equipment, and travel out to their alert location by either truck or helicopter.
Working environment
The missile launch control environment also varied by system. Early missiles such as Thor and Atlas, relied on support facilities above ground, with crews protected in a shelter of some sort. Later systems were buried underground, either with the missiles located nearby or a distance away. In the underground environment, crews dealt with artificial lighting, recycled air, loud noises, and intimately close quarters with equipment racks. The Atlas F was in an underground silo, along with the launch crew quarters, separated by a tunnel.
Alert tours
Peacekeeper and Titan II alerts were usually 24-hour tours, with additional time required for briefings at the MSB, and travel time to and from site. Minuteman crews were on 40 hour alerts with additional time required for briefings at the MSB, and travel time to and from site. An experiment with 72-hour tours was started in 2006 but was ended sometime later for unknown reasons.
Project OIL CHANGE
OIL CHANGE was a test implemented by SAC to test if two-person 36-hour tour for Minuteman ICBM crews were feasible; before OIL CHANGE, three crew members were needed. The test ended in mid-1968, with the OIL CHANGE recommendations implemented 29 November 1968.
System specifics
Each missile crew had at least two officers on-site operating the equipment: the missile combat crew commander and deputy missile combat crew commander. The earlier systems, such as Atlas, Thor and Titan, required more personnel to monitor increasingly complex systems.
Atlas
The Atlas-F silo-based variant had a crew complement of five members:
MCCC
DMCCC
Ballistic Missile Analyst Technician
Missile Facilities Technician
Electric Power Production Technician
Titan
Titan II crews numbered four:
MCCC
DMCCC
Ballistic Missile Analyst Technician
Missile Facilities Technician.
Minuteman/Peacekeeper
and Peacekeeper missile crews numbered two: the MCCC and DMCCC. Tasks within the system technical orders were sometimes labeled for each crew position, although the majority of tasks could be accomplished by either member.
The Airborne Launch Control System is operated by an airborne missileer crew aboard Airborne Launch Control Center aircraft. The Missile Combat Crew-Airborne consists of the Missile Combat Crew Command-Airborne and the Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander-Airborne.
Global counterparts
Soviet/Russian
Very little is known about Soviet/Russian missile crew members. Following with Soviet doctrine, launch control functions are trusted with higher-ranking officers, in contrast to United States policy of entrusting lower-ranking officers with day-to-day functions.
