F.E. Warren hosts ICBM sustainment roadshow

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Nikita Thorpe
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  A team of Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Force Materiel Command senior leaders held two town hall briefings at F.E. Warren Air Force Base on May 4 to share current and future ICBM sustainment initiatives with Airmen charged with operating, defending and maintaining a viable weapons system.

Initiatives included funding, improved data analysis and increased manpower in certain areas.

Colonel Eric Moore, AFGSC ICBM maintenance division chief, commented on the change in the funding process. “In previous years weapon system funding for parts had to compete with other operations needs within units. This process, at times, led to systematic parts being deferred due to unit funding,” he said. “Part funding is now centrally managed at AFGSC and will soon be managed in the central asset management program like every other weapons system in the Air Force.”

This change has provided the ability to be proactive and forecast items needing maintenance before failure.

Leadership has begun taking a holistic approach in communicating ICBM weapons system performance by developing the nuclear capability rate. The NCR factors issues like survivability, communications and security, with inputs taken directly from Airmen and equipment logs.

"We are here to support the warfighter and keep the Minuteman III capability until the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent comes on board," Moore said. "Minuteman III is the weapon system today, and it will remain viable until it is replaced."

Colonel Scott Jones, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center’s ICBM systems director, spoke to their goals in supporting and sustaining the ICBM mission, which includes preventative measures, improving data collection and analysis, and preserving capabilities through complete GBSD deployment.

Continuous improvement requires trust between leadership and the Airmen working the mission day in and day out, he said.

"The engineers who designed the Minuteman III weapons system did an amazing job 60 years ago," Jones said. "But the ability for it to perform as it does today is completely reflective of maintainers, defenders and operators who manage this weapon system each and every day. We appreciate what you all do."