News Search

Out with the old, in with the new - MEECN provides faster, more secure communication

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mike Tryon
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  Earlier this month, members of Air Force Global Strike Command's 90th Missile Maintenance Squadron completed the decommissioning of the ICBM Super High Frequency Satellite Terminal.

The wing's last remaining ISST radome and mast assembly was removed from Missile Alert Facility Charlie-01. Warren was the first base under 20th Air Force to complete the decommissioning of the ISST by replacing it with the Minimum Essential Emergency Communication Network system.

"The maintainers of the 90th MMXS have again gone forth and conquered, leading the way in 20th Air Force," said Lt. Col. Trevor Flint, 90th MMXS commander. "Master Sgt. Beau Jones, 90th MMXS Missile Communications Maintenance NCO-in-charge, and his missile communications maintenance team took this critical nuclear command and control maintenance task head on, and completed the ISST deactivation and equipment removal earlier than any other wing in 20th Air Force."

Prior to removing the ISST components, maintenance technicians ensured the MEECN system was up and running.

"This [MEECN] system is newer, faster and more reliable than the ISST system was," Sergeant Jones said.

This allows missile combat crews to receive emergency action messages more technologically secure, he added.

A significant piece to the project was the merging of certain missile-specific career fields.

"Maintaining the MEECN system while getting rid of the ISST system proved that 2M0X1s -- missile and space systems electronic maintenance personnel -- have and can be successful doing 3D1X3 -- radio frequency transmission systems personnel -- jobs in the missile field," Sergeant Jones said.

"Currently, there are no three-deltas working on missile field communications systems in the wing," he added.

The MEECN system communicates with Military Strategic and Tactical Relay satellites to transmit EAMs to missile crews.

The decommissioning project had two phases; removing the electrical cabinets and components, and removing the radome and mast assembly.

"This would have only taken us about a month," Sergeant Jones said. "However, because the weather was uncooperative, we were only able to complete the first phase when we started back in November."

The radome acts as a transceiver and sits atop the mast assembly, which was housed outside the MAF buildings.

Cranes cannot operate in high wind conditions, and because of that, the second phase of the project had to wait until the weather turned.

"Because the radome and mast assembly were no longer in use, having them out in the field taking up space acted as an 'eye-sore,'" Sergeant Jones said. "Once it was nice out and the wind, snow and rain decided to stay away, we were able to complete the second phase."

The new system is scheduled to last 10 years before upgrades are needed.
"The procedures and techniques they used, as well as the lifting harness they designed and manufactured, is now being used by the other wings to complete their maintenance," Colonel Flint said. "I could not be more proud of this team for their ingenuity and tenacity in completing this deactivation."