Fellow Missileers:

Congratulations to AAFM member Maj Gen Stacy Jo Huser who assumed command of 20 AF this afternoon from now Lt Gen Michael Lutton who is moving to be the AFGSC Deputy Commander.  We look forward to working with Maj Gen Huser and hearing from her at future AAFM events.

AAFM continues to track the efforts of the study to understand the causes of cancer in missileers.  To us, it is just as important to document and understand the past incidents that affected those that served in the past and ensure they get the proper healthcare from the VA as it is to ensure that our current missileers have a safe work environment.  We will continue to carry this two-fold message forward in any conversation we have with government officials and the media.

You may have noticed that our December 2023 newsletter never arrived—that is because over the holidays we switched gears and moved to a January, May, and September publication schedule. Our cover is dedicated to Bob Wyckoff, author of several missile related poems including the well-known “Missileer” as well as “Missile Maintainers”, “The Schoolhouse” and “The Ace in the Hole”. This month’s newsletter if full of information on the 2024 National Meeting in Buellton, CA, our scholarship winners, the 2024 Heritage program recipients, Global Challenge 2024, and the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force to proudly wear the missile badge. Click here for your digital copy. Hard copies went out in the mail today.

What’s up at the Wings?

--  MAF PCB Detection Locations: The link below shows where PCBs have been located in the LCC’s Topside and LCEB’s at all three Missile Wings. PCB Sample Locations  On Dec 20 AFGSC released the Missile Community Cancer Study Round One environmental sampling results. The entire round one results are available at the following link Round One Results.

-- Minot: Eye in the Sky: Helicopter Squadron Secures Missile Fields from Above. The Minot Daily News ran a great article on the 54th Helicopter Squadron (HS). The article reports on the current mission and the future of the 54th HS. If you were stationed at Minot AFB, it’s interesting to see the local newspaper and what has changed and not changed.

Want to know more? Minot Daily News on the 54th HS

-- Malmstrom: New AFGSC ICBM Modernization Director Visits Malmstrom

Brig. Gen. Colin J. Connor ICBM Modernization Director visited Team Malmstrom during a two-day visit. Connor was joined by Maj. Gen. Ty W. Neuman, AFGSC Director of Strategic Plans, Programs and Requirements, and Col. David S. Miller, AFGSC Director of Logistics and Engineering. The three coordinate and advocate for the funding and requirements for the modernization and recapitalization of strategic nuclear forces, to include the LGM-35 Sentinel missile and MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopters.

Want Know More? ICBM Director Visits Malmstrom AFB

-- Kirtland:

Many of our long time (aka older) AAFM members may not know that Kirtland AFB provides critical support to the ICBM mission. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) established on March 31, 2006, is the nuclear-focused center within Air Force Material Command (AFMC) synchronizing all aspects of nuclear materiel management on behalf of the AFMC commander and in direct support of Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). For example, the Air Force and Northrop Grumman conducted a static fire test of stage 1, of the LGM-35A Sentinel weapon system at Northrop Grumman's facility in Promontory, Utah.  The test results are currently being analyzed by a team of experts from the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) and Northrop Grumman. Another example is that the 576 Flight Test Squadron (FLTS) is now assigned to the 377 Air Base Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM. The 576 FLTS is a geographically separate unit, residing at Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA and is a direct reporting unit to AFGSC.

Want to Know More? Watch this nifty and short video: AFNWC Sentinel Support

Thought Piece: Why Hypersonic Missiles’ Greatest Strength Also Makes Them Vulnerable and How Do They Compare with Ballistic Missile Reentry Vehicles?

A recent report (Vulnerabilities) warns that a wave of emerging weapons such as hypersonic glide vehicles, scramjet cruise missiles, and maneuvering reentry vehicles could evade today’s missile defenses due to their high speed and unpredictable maneuvers. But unique phenomena at hypersonic speeds (Hypersonic Speeds or faster) could also make those weapons easier to detect and track for certain sensors. In May 2023 Ukraine news reported it had shot down a Russian hypersonic missile.  ("This is my work")

“Hypersonic weapons, the things that make them so dangerous are also what make them so vulnerable,” said Masao Dahlgren, a Missile Defense Project fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies and author (A New Hypersonic Look) on hypersonic missile defense. In comparison, ballistic missile reentry vehicle speeds at the terminal phase can reach approximately 19000 feet per second or close to Mach 17. ( Source)

Want to know more? Hypersonic Vulnerabilities?

Sincerely,

Jim 

James F. Warner

Executive Director