Fellow Missileers:

I hope you all received the AAFM Dispatch at the end of last week inviting you to join the Public Town Hall regarding the Missile Cancer Study this Friday.  It will be shared via Zoom.  Join early as the link is open to first 500 dial-ins.  AFGSC will be recording the meeting and we will over the recording on our website as soon as we get it.

Have you signed up for our National Meeting yet?  We are only about halfway to our goal so there are still plenty of seats available.  We have some great speakers, tours, and discussion lined up and of course it will include our inaugural Hall of Fame banquet.

The first draft of our book on Minuteman Art has was delivered to the Air Force for review this week.  We hope to go to print before our national meeting. For a look at a draft of the cover, click here. More information on ordering in future emails.

Grandpa, What Did You Do in the “Big War”?

 The heritage of our three remaining Minuteman ICBM wings is long and goes back to WWII. The predecessors to our ICBM wings served with distinction and honor. In observance of Memorial Day, below is a quick summary of their service history.

91st WW II Service: Constituted as 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Trained with B-17's then moved to England and assigned to Eighth AF. Entered combat in Nov 1942 and concentrated its attacks on submarine pens, ship-building yards, harbors, and dock facilities until mid-1943. Also struck airdromes, factories, and communication nodes. Attacked the Nazi navy yard at Wilhelmshaven on 27 Jan 1943 when heavy bombers of Eighth AF first penetrated Germany. Of 64 planes participating in the raid, 53 reached their target and managed to shoot down 22 German planes. Three planes were lost.

The Memphis Belle, that successfully flew 25, B-17 missions was assigned to the 324th Bombardment Squadron and 91st Bombardment Group.

341st WW ll Service: The 341st Missile Wing has its origins in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theater of World War II, being activated as the 341st Bombardment Group (Medium) in India on 15 September 1942. The unit was one of the first bomber units in the CBI equipped with B-25 Mitchell bombers shipped from the United States to Karachi. Entered combat early in 1943 and operated against enemy transportation in central Burma until 1944. Bombed bridges, locomotives, railroad yards, and other targets to delay movement of supplies to the Japanese troops fighting in northern Burma. Moved to China in Jan 1944. Engaged primarily in sea sweeps and attacks against inland shipping. Also bombed the Canton-Hong Kong area of China. Received a DUC for developing and using a special GLIP Bombing technique against enemy bridges in French Indochina.

90^th WW II Service: The 90th Missile Wing traces its lineage to the establishment of the 90th Bombardment Group (Heavy), on 28 January 1942. The 90th BG was a U.S. Army Air Forces, Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber unit that served in the Pacific Theater. The Group attacked enemy troop concentrations, airfield installations and shipping in New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, Palau and the Southern Philippines. The group was awarded a DUC for operations in Papua through January 1943 The unit participated in the Battle of Bismarck Sea in March 1943, and earned another citation for strikes on enemy airfields at Wewak, New Guinea in September 1943 despite heavy flak and fighter opposition.

Sentinel and Nunn-McCurdy...Oh boy! Another Report Opportunity

Lawmakers are taking several steps toward increased oversight of the Sentinel ICBM program. The Air Force announced earlier this year that Sentinel had breached Nunn-McCurdy critical costs and schedule overruns. However, there is no movement to cancel or curb the program.

If Sentinel is certified to continue, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) introduced an NDAA amendment—approved by the committee—that would require Pentagon acquisition boss William LaPlante to submit a report on the “total system architecture, and opportunities for competition throughout the lifecycle of the program.” The report would include government control of design review entrance and exit criteria, the ability to certify completion of all subsystems and the “total system architecture, and opportunities for competition throughout the lifecycle of the program”. 

Want To Know More? Another Report!

Back to the Future...Some Thoughts of Those Who Have Gone Before Us

For years the Air Force ICBM community has proposed different basing schemes for land-based ICBMs. The Air Force Sentinel decision was to place the new missiles in existing, refurbished silos. Although it is the correct decision, existing MM silos, cabling systems and technology need major Civil Engineering and electronic updates to support Sentinel for its approximate 50-year life cycle. The actual missile itself is progressing successfully, but will the ground support system be ready to accept it and are there other ways to get Sentinel on alert faster?

So what does the US do to maintain an effective TRIAD? In 1975, RAND produced a then Classified/FRD study outlining Current and Future Options for the ICBM Force. The RAND report has been declassified, and although old and dated, provides some interesting ideas on how to proceed. 

Want to Read the 1975 Report? RAND Report

ARE YOU A MISSILEER?

IF YOU SEE THIS ON THE ROAD .................AND REMEMBER THIS

                              YOU MIGHT BE A MISSILEER

IF YOU SEE THIS IN THE GROCERY STORE ...... AND REMEMBER THIS

                                 

                                     YOU MIGHT BE A MISSILEER

IF YOU SEE THIS FROM THE ROAD ........AND REMEMBER THIS

                              

                                    YOU ARE A MISSILEER!

(apologies to Jeff Foxworthy)

As always, reach out if you have any questions, comments, or content to add.

Sincerely,

Jim 

James F. Warner

Executive Director