Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
3/6/2015
Leaders of strategic deterrence advocacy groups are reacting positively to the Air Force’s implementation of the Force Improvement Program (FIP), which began in February 2014 to address morale issues and equipment flaws in the service’s nuclear enterprise. “We think the Force Improvement Program is the right program at the right time,” said David Weissman, the chair of the Montana Defense Alliance. “There’s a whole cultural change that’s coming out of it, the whole thought process of how important the mission is.” Senior Air Force officials initiated the FIP after a drug investigation uncovered cheating on monthly proficiency tests by missileers at Malmstrom AFB.
No “Flash in the Pan”
FIP reforms include deep cleaning of launch control centers, new uniforms, repairing work cages used to repair Minuteman 3s, bump-ups in incentive pay and staff increases in key career fields. Global Strike Command has also changed from a monthly to a quarterly proficiency testing methodology. Mark Jantzer, the chair of Minot Task Force 21, an advocacy group based near the North Dakota Air Force base, said his group is working to ensure FIP reforms don’t equate to a mere “flash in the pan” and that officials continue to address nuclear force shortfalls. “You got to recognize that most of the things that they’re doing in the Force Improvement Program came from a survey of the troops, so I think [Air Force leadership is] doing the right things, and more will continue to be done over time,” he said.
Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak, Air Force Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, said during a January speech that top Air Force leadership was “committed” to address airmen’s stated concerns. “We’re committed to a Force Improvement Program that, from the bottom up, [addresses] everything from how we cook eggs at the launch control facilities to how we sustain and how we fight our systems and the vehicles they drive, the equipment they use, the tools that they need,” he said.
Launch Facility Conditions
Malmstrom recently replaced apparently “horrific” old mattresses in launch control centers that probably needed replacing as long as 20 years ago, Weissman said. “So you can imagine, now that you go in there and you have a nice place to get some good rest, what a change in attitude and morale would be,” Weissman said. “You know, that’s a small [change], but it’s a big one.” The service is also working to address launch facility doors that won’t close and command-and-control phones that don’t carry a high enough volume. When asked whether the Air Force should’ve addressed the poor conditions sooner, Weissman pointed to a lost national focus rather than blaming officials. “Because it’s kind of a silent deterrent, it gets forgotten about and people think, ‘Well we don’t use them, we don’t need them,’” Weissman said. “But we do use them, and they’re effective.”
SecAF “One of the Best”
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James has visited Malmstrom frequently since starting her position in December 2013, including a visit last month which preceded her attendance at a Nuclear Oversight Board meeting at Minot AFB. Weissman praised her level of engagement and contributions to recent positive changes. “She’s been championing the mission and the issues, and getting them resolved,” he said. “Secretary James is one of the best things that’s happened to this mission in a long time.”
