A week at a time during the summer, however, the codes that tell the 50 missiles in each of the space wing's three missile squadrons what to do will be systematically changed one by one in the interest of national security.

"The code change is an annual requirement that each missile squadron has to undergo as directed by U.S. Strategic Command," said Capt. David McMillian, 91st Operations Support Squadron code controller.

"It has national command level attention and it's a very big deal in the ICBM community. We get the codes from USSTRATCOM, and if we don't do our job absolutely perfect bad things can happen and many people will find out very quickly." The whole process starts inside the codes vault on base where code controllers like Captain McMillan obtain the new codes information.

"We receive the information through fiber optic from US STRATCOM through a [computer] downlink," the code controller said. "To do our [job] in codes, we take [the six different types of codes] and put it on various media [so the maintenance people and missileers can take it to the field]."

The missileers on 24-hour alert in the LCC have a responsibility to load the new codes according to Capt. Nathan Hippe, 741st Missile Squadron deputy crew commander.

"Code change [for us] involves swapping out the codes that we use in the LCC that allow the missiles to talk to each other and allow them to launch," he said. "Our consoles [in the LCC] have launch and enable panels, and we switch out the [old] code components [for the new ones]."

While on alert, the missileers monitor 10 missiles they have assigned to them and usually it's pretty quiet, but during the week of code change, there is a lot more action happening, said the captain.

"There's a lot of transferring of the bombs [on the missile] from person to person because when a capsule goes down we can't see our missiles anymore so another [missile] capsule watches our missiles," he said. "If no on can see the missiles, the [maintenance] team chief out at the [launch facility] site is responsible for it."

The maintenance Airmen take the new coded components to the field and install them in the missiles, according to Master Sgt. Matthew Zelinski, 91st Missile Maintenance Squadron electro-mechanical section NCO in charge.

"The maintenance teams go out with the entry and exit [security forces] teams who open the site for us," he said. "Once the site is open, we go in, [change the codes] and go on to the next site with another security forces team waiting for us. The task is labor intensive and EMT could not get the job done without the support of the rest of the maintenance shops in the 91st Maintenance Group."

Another group that works hand in hand with the maintenance Airmen is the 91st Security Forces Group who provides all security needed for the maintenance Airmen to do their jobs.

"We send a two-person security escort team with every maintenance team that goes out to a site for a code change, we have five four-person fire teams and airborne fire teams that sweep the area before the teams even go out," said 1st Lt. David Mays, 791st Missile Security Forces Squadron operations officer.

"At the actual site, one person on the security escort teams continuously walks around the LF while the other person monitors the radio, and depending on how long the maintenance team takes, the security Airmen could be working a 12 to 16 hour day."

The entire 91st SW is involved during the week of code change, from the group level on down to the individual shops. Without the contribution of each individual person, one of the most important jobs vital to national security wouldn't be able to happen.

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United States Strategic Command
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