Study: Nuclear Force Feeling 'Burnout' from Work

[Guest]

https://www.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=5356

REAR ADM KIRBY: [sECDEF HAGEL] has today issued a memo to the senior leaders of this department, as well to those of the Air Force and the Navy [...] Secretary Hagel will direct senior leaders to develop and implement an action plan to do the following things, one, examine the underlying leadership and management principles governing the strategic deterrence enterprise and the health of the culture that implements these principles. Two, identify successful personnel management practices within the strategic deterrence enterprise. Three, identify key gaps and/or problems concerning the growth and development of the personnel within the nuclear enterprise. Fourth, identify remedies for any gaps or problems.

And, five, direct action to rapidly implement identified remedies and any other required actions. He wants this action plan delivered to him in 60 days.

Finally, the secretary is calling for an independent review to conduct a broader examination of the strategic deterrence enterprise as it relates to personnel. This review which will involve the work of a small number of experienced former officials will [...] assess the quality and effectiveness of our action plan, and it will provide us a sense of any persistent changes that [...] could affect the performance of the deterrence mission, as well as any recommendations to address those challenges. This review will be completed no later than 90 days after its start, and we hope to get it started within the next couple of weeks. [...]

[waveshaper]

Things are fixing to get serious (or maybe sillier). Not only is leadership (management) looking to repair the Air ForceNuclear Enterprise but they now will be trying to figure out what's wrong with the Strategic Deterrence Enterprise

(that's a term you don't see often). I would expect to see lots of "Rapid Enterprise Reinvigorating" (once again)

happening in the not to distant future. This Reinvigoration of the Nuclear/Strategic Deterrence Enterprise will

continue until we regain the trust of our nation and confidence of our allies. Ready, fire, aim/ rinse and repeat.

[Majestik Møøse]

Just pay them more money. We pay pilots more money after ten years because it's hard to keep them around. It's also hard to keep missileers around. This shit is easy.

[Breckey]

There are really no jobs for missileers after their first assignment. There is a reason that they have cross-flow boards to put them in the MX, PA, Space, and a couple other AFSCs. The vast majority of "combat-ready" missileers are O-1/O-2. Our Wg/CC and OG/CC have probably sat around 10-15 alerts (24 hrs each) SINCE THE LATE 1990's. Are there any flying group/wg commanders that haven't maintained BAQ since 9-11? The missile wing personnel system is designed for high attrition. A missileer thought that one of our pilots was "on the fast track" because he was flying on his third assignment.

The crux of the problem is the piss-poor leadership and the lack of mission focus (surprise). Micro-management and lack of ability to think critically turns people in the ICBM enterprise into mindless robots. It's checklist or counseling. Leaders are so worried about their careers that they oversee every aspect of their command and influence it to portray them in the best light. It's just like the rest of the AF but the culture of the ICBM leadership and mid-level crew force amplifies the issue. We cannot go TDY without an O-5 and an O-6 asking us why we are claiming airport parking or why we gave the taxi driver a 20% tip (totally wish I was joking on the last one). Our OG/CC did not want a crew to classify a flight control malfunction on short final as a PL, rather a ground abort because the PL would drive a CCIR to NAF.

As I had said before in the Minot mishap thread, it will require a complete gut-cleanse-replace of the ICBM force to bring about any meaningful change to the morale and motivation problems facing the nuclear enterprise.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Breckey

[Liquid]

https://www.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=5356

At any level, you should be concerned when your boss asks you to brief him on your plan to get done what he told you to get done, when he resourced you with everything you said you needed to get it done and he fully expected you to get it done. When your boss specifically asks you to include in this new plan your assessment on your leadership, management principles/practices, personnel health/culture and proposed remedies for gaps in personnel growth and development, you are probably close to getting replaced because he is telling you to do something you should already be doing (leading and taking care of your people). When your boss tells you to get all this done very quickly, then brings in outside help to check the accuracy of your assessment and suitability of your new plan, you probably need to start thinking about doing another job. My guess is that we will see the abrupt removal of a few GOs by the time this is over.

[Fud]

Just pay them more money

Like a Letterman Top Ten List

1. Monetary incentives

2. No monthly bullshit proficiency testing

3. Make a test bank of questions (similar to rated folks instead of playing "stump the chump")

4. Don't crush people for making inconsequential mistakes (if you don't lose a weapon, security of it, or launch it when you aren't supposed to, then pretty much everything is recoverable).

5. Get better leadership in jobs who will be real with you. (There was a constant buzz of terrible leaders who always spouted bullshit about the locations not being that bad.

I know there weren't ten but this is a good start. Holding a leadership position in missiles always seemed to be for those who stuck it out and made LTC because all of their peers got out. There are some awesome leaders in that career field though, as there are in every career field.

On another note, crew dogs shouldn't complain about the job or the ops tempo. I can guarantee most folks would kill for a job where they could be at home often with their family. The job is easy, you get to go home most nights, but the majority of oeadership is horrendous. All most of them do is talk about making O-6 and they seem to be chomping at the bit to get out of their tour as quickly as possible. However, these things have all been suggested before, and nothing was done. I expect lip service, mass punishments, and continued morale in the gutter.

Edit to add:

When you are in a career field where you are expected to be perfect, people will lie to you and cheat the system, whether it is tests, or simple procedures. As the Minot helo pilot stated above, careerism is rife in that career field and CYA is a daily occurrence. You also don't have leadership who pull crew at all, and some truly don't understand what is going on.

Also, when you aren't putting warheads on foreheads, you get measured by test scores. Those tests, as stated earlier are designed for you to fail. I remember hearing management state that they wanted testing so hard that people would fail. One test failure meant you were a bag of shit forever. Talk about pressure to perform, and you're telling me that doesn't create an unhealthy environment.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Fud

[HeloDude]

Just pay them more money. We pay pilots more money after ten years because it's hard to keep them around. It's also hard to keep missileers around. This shit is easy.

I'm not a missileer (thankfully), but from my understanding...it takes a lot less time and money to train a missileer than it does a pilot, and also, it takes a lot more time (and money) to successfully season a new pilot to an AC, Flight Lead, and IP/EP than it does to appropriately season a missileer. I'm not against bonuses per se, but this doesn't seem like an issue that bonuses will solve. Has there been talk of a 'stop-loss' for missileers in the past?...if their retention right now is that poor, so poor that they cannot complete their mission, then maybe there should be. From what I can tell, a lot of these problems have more to do with morale/job satisfaction.

So if the AF wants to throw some money at them, sure why not, but again, I don't believe by itself that it will change much. There's a reason pilots get a bonus and most other officer career fields don't: The Air Force is scared to death to see what happens if they don't give out the bonus.

Just my $.02

[Karl Hungus]

My guess is that we will see the abrupt removal of a few GOs by the time this is over.

Didn't we do this exact same thing a couple years ago? Being a GO in Global Strike sounds really appealing given that you'll inevitably be fired every few years.

Easy, relatively cheap fix: put the missile control room things at Hickam, Homestead, Patrick, etc. Why do the missileers have to be co-located with the missiles? Make people do a shitty, boring, thankless job in a nice location they'd actually want to live at and suddenly, it's not so bad.

[Butters]

Why do the missileers have to be co-located with the missiles?

.

I am sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that these are nuclear tipped ballistic missiles and you might want to have a hard wired connection to them to prevent jamming or hacking. Just a thought

[Bender]

.

I am sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that these are nuclear tipped ballistic missiles and you might want to have a hard wired connection to them to prevent jamming or hacking. Just a thought

I've been informed by ACSC students that as long as you "air gap" it, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Press, Karl.

Come on, what's the worst that could happen really?

Bendy

Edit: Fuck, it's like I can't do two things at the same time! Kind of frightening considering my occupation.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Bender

[17D_guy]

Easy, relatively cheap fix: put the missile control room things at Hickam, Homestead, Patrick, etc. Why do the missileers have to be co-located with the missiles? Make people do a shitty, boring, thankless job in a nice location they'd actually want to live at and suddenly, it's not so bad.

No

I am sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that these are nuclear tipped ballistic missiles and you might want to have a hard wired connection to them to prevent jamming or hacking. Just a thought

Yes

I've been informed by ACSC students that as long as you "air gap" it, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Press, Karl.

Come on, what's the worst that could happen really?

No

[sqwatch]

Just pay them more money. We pay pilots more money after ten years because it's hard to keep them around. It's also hard to keep missileers around. This shit is easy.

Brilliant! Because both career fields have very similar training costs.

[Bender]

No...Yes...No

Holy shit that was close; it's a damn good thing you got here in time! Obviously you couldn't stay long, but that was fuckin' clutch inputs right there!

bendy

[sqwatch]

On another note, crew dogs shouldn't complain about the job or the ops tempo. I can guarantee most folks would kill for a job where they could be at home often with their family. The job is easy, you get to go home most nights, but the majority of oeadership is horrendous. All most of them do is talk about making O-6 and they seem to be chomping at the bit to get out of their tour as quickly as possible. However, these things have all been suggested before, and nothing was done. I expect lip service, mass punishments, and continued morale in the gutter.

Because they don't deploy, and their job is "easy" by your standards, they should STFU? Ridiculous.

“Most folks” would disagree that an easy job equals job satisfaction, and you can't guarantee anything. Until the Airmen manning the silos are convinced they do a job that has meaning, morale will remain where it is.

[Fud]

Because they don't deploy, and their job is "easy" by your standards, they should STFU? Ridiculous.

“Most folks” would disagree that an easy job equals job satisfaction, and you can't guarantee anything. Until the Airmen manning the silos are convinced they do a job that has meaning, morale will remain where it is.

Typing on my tablet drunk and angry makes me bad at grammar sometimes. The job is easy. Technical, yes, but after good training, it ain't that hard. I never complained about the ops tempo or the job itself. It was just terrible leadership.

[SuperWSO]

SECDEF orders review of nuclear arsenal. Results due in 60 days.

This is going to be the end of the nuke triad. The level of buffoonery going on in the missile fields is going to lead to a report that says we can get by on bombers and sub launched missiles. Mothball the ICBMs, thank all the 13Ns for their time and close FE Warren, Malmstrom and parts of Vandenberg. Massive savings all around.

[xaarman]

close FE Warren, Malmstrom and parts of Vandenberg. Massive savings all around.

Sorry, no BRAC allowed.

[Gravedigger]

This is going to be the end of the nuke triad. The level of buffoonery going on in the missile fields is going to lead to a report that says we can get by on bombers and sub launched missiles. Mothball the ICBMs, thank all the 13Ns for their time and close FE Warren, Malmstrom and parts of Vandenberg. Massive savings all around.

We can only hope. The representatives in the areas affected would never let that happen.

Here's my solution:

1. Reduce from 3 missile wings to 1. Leave Malmstrom open, because the town would literally die without the base. Minot still has the bombers, and FE could pick up more Hercs or other missions.

2. Use recycled nuclear material for energy.

3. Having one wing resolves the issue of having way too many CGOs with one missile tour and nowhere to go.

4. Give missileers incentive pay, but continue to pull from the bottom 10% of commissioning sources.

5. Upgrade systems on exisiting ICBMs with savings.

6. Shut down ICBM WIC...because it's just too stupid to comprehend.

.....

12. Profits.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Gravedigger

[SuperWSO]

We can only hope. The representatives in the areas affected would never let that happen.

Here's my solution:

1. Reduce from 3 missile wings to 1. Leave Malmstrom open, because the town would literally die without the base. Minot still has the bombers, and FE could pick up more Hercs or other missions.

2. Use recycled nuclear material for energy.

3. Having one wing resolves the issue of having way too many CGOs with one missile tour and nowhere to go.

4. Give missileers incentive pay, but continue to pull from the bottom 10% of commissioning sources.

5. Upgrade systems on exisiting ICBMs with savings.

6. Shut down ICBM WIC...because it's just too stupid to comprehend.

.....

12. Profits.

Ah, so you are advocating the ICBM gnomes.

[HeloDude]

1. Reduce from 3 missile wings to 1. Leave Malmstrom open, because the town would literally die without the base. Minot still has the bombers, and FE could pick up more Hercs or other missions.

From what my brothers at Global Strike have been telling me for years (AF Space prior to 2009), is that the plan is to close Malmstrom if they would ever close one of the 3.

As for FE Warren, they don't have an Herks, much less a runway to fly them. Grant it, they support the ANG C-130's next door, as well as the AD Sq (as far as I know?), but it seems to me that FE becoming a pure 130 base most likely wouldn't happen. Just my guess.

[Breckey]

Unfortunately as awesome as the flying is Malmstrom should close. Its missile field is the largest and most expensive to maintain. Warren is a national historic landmark and has nothing but the missiles at the base but it too should close. Minot has the smallest and least expensive missile complex. Dual hat the bombers and its cheaper overall for the taxpayers.

[Gravedigger]

The reason I think you leave Malmstrom open is precisely because it has the largest missile field. I'm not sure I agree with having everything so close to one location (bombers/missiles) at Minot.

I don't know anything about the Herks in Wyoming, I'm just thinking the senators are going to want some quid-pro-quo action if they lose their ICBMs.

[Homestar]

At any level, you should be concerned when your boss asks you to brief him on your plan to get done what he told you to get done, when he resourced you with everything you said you needed to get it done and he fully expected you to get it done. When your boss specifically asks you to include in this new plan your assessment on your leadership, management principles/practices, personnel health/culture and proposed remedies for gaps in personnel growth and development, you are probably close to getting replaced because he is telling you to do something you should already be doing (leading and taking care of your people). When your boss tells you to get all this done very quickly, then brings in outside help to check the accuracy of your assessment and suitability of your new plan, you probably need to start thinking about doing another job. My guess is that we will see the abrupt removal of a few GOs by the time this is over.

Some years ago I remember a Secretary of Defense removing the entire top military and civilian leadership of the Air Force in an attempt to revamp the nuclear mission. If that wasn't enough of a wake up call to missile leadership then I don't think anything will work.

[sqwatch]

Typing on my tablet drunk and angry makes me bad at grammar sometimes.

busted. Now that the scotch has mostly metabolized, I remember the 13n that became an 18u and was the happiest dude you ever saw in a career field filled with pissed off people. His perma-smile was due in part to "actually contributing to the war". For him, his job satisfaction was tied to doing something he perceived as worthwhile.

[F16Rooster]

I went from active duty missileer to Guard pilot and if there's one thing I continually remind myself of it is that I am continually on the greener side of the fence. Those poor bastards.