72 vs. 24: Alerts that change the world Published April 14, 2008 By Airman 1st Class Daryl Knee 90th Space Wing Public Affairs F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- The alarm sounds. Startled, the man rolls out of bed to prepare for work. Dressed, shaven and ready to leave, he stops by his son's bedroom door to wish him a silent, "happy birthday." Once departed, he will not return for three days; he will miss the child's party. A normal occurrence for a missileer of the 90th Operations Group. A missileer's job takes them into an underground complex reinforced with concrete for a 72-hour period, called alerts, where they monitor, control and, if the need arises, launch missiles, said Capt. Rodney Ellison, 319th Missile Squadron and a missileer who has performed both 24- and 72-hour alerts. Missileers provide direct support of Warren's mission: a safe, secure and ready strategic deterrence force. "We're here to protect our nation," he said. "Basically, if [an enemy] hits us with a stick, we'll hit [them] with a bigger stick." For the 72-hour alerts, a three-member team leaves Warren for the missile field, he said. They arrive at a missile alert facility, the housing located above a launch control center. Two people are needed in the LCC at any given time. The other person may go to the surface, the captain said. He can shower, workout or sleep. The team works in shifts so everyone has a chance to leave the underground capsule. The LCC is referred to as a capsule because it resembles a pill, he continued. It's a fully self-contained facility, equipped with power, an air supply and water. If under attack, the missileers can continue working for more than 30 days. "It can be challenging," Captain Ellison said. "You are working in a very, very confined space with another person for a long, long time. You learn to put on your best behavior." The two missile operators are secured in mobile, swiveling chairs to reach the numerous controls and functions of the center. They must remain alert to receive and decode messages, he said. The messages could mean anything from "The road conditions have changed; be careful on the way back" to "Launch the missiles." "If the president wants us to launch a missile, we'll get it there. Thirty minutes or less, or the next one's free," Captain Ellison said with a laugh. With the recent Air Force Space Command decision to return to 24-hour tours, the mission of the team has not changed, he said. There will be differences, but to the missileers, the work is the same. "Now, I can wake up in the morning and think, 'Oh, we're going home already,'" he said. With the shorter tours, the equipment and people needed has changed in quantity. The team saves time by not having to ready three day's worth of materials for the trip, and only two people are needed to effectively perform, he said. The change-over will be quicker, as well. Every time a team is replaced, checklists are followed by the crew members to ensure all the correct procedures were followed, the captain said. The checklists are significantly large for a three-day, three-person tour. The biggest difference between the two alerts is the interaction between crew members, Captain Ellison said. The three-member tours mean a trip with different people more often. With the two-member tours, there will be a dedicated missile combat crew commander and deputy who will deploy with each other every time. "The continuity of both being on the same page will be refreshing," said Capt. John Yohn, 320th Missile Squadron. "Now, there's no reason for people to say, 'I learned it this way. Well, I learned it this way.'" Captain Yohn has spent nearly 82 days in a capsule, but he has not experienced many 24-hour alerts. Yet, he is not daunted by the change. "I'm not scared; I'm not excited," he said. "We're still going to get the job done. It doesn't matter how long we'll be there, we'll get the job done." The mental fatigue will be less, he continued. Three busy days in a confined area can fade a person's attentiveness. However, the team members now will have no chance to visit the missile alert facility crew once processed into the LCC, he said. The operators can no longer get to know the chefs or security forces inside the facility. Altogether, the 24-hour alerts will be effective, Captain Ellison said. The missileers will provide deterrence, he said.