BURNS, Wyoming (Tribune News Service) — In an underground facility northwest of Burns, dedicated 90th Missile Wing defenders conduct essential nuclear deterrence operations.

The Alpha-01 Missile Alert Facility (MAF) hosts one of the 15 Launch Control Capsules (LCCs) for which F.E. Warren Air Force Base is responsible. Each capsule oversees 10 launch facilities, ostensibly each armed with a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Though above ground the facilities appear to be no more than a few simple structures, sleeping quarters and a leisure space, complete with a pool table and television, below are young airmen constantly overseeing the land leg of the U.S. nuclear triad.

Airmen from 19 years old into their early 20s conduct missions essential to strategic deterrence, focusing on the Minuteman III, the current ICBM in service under the supervision of Air Force Global Strike Command.

“Our ICBMs provide special capability with strategic deterrence, deterring our adversaries from attacking both us and our allies,” Capt. Nolan Murgatroyd said during a media tour Wednesday. “Making sure our adversaries stay awake at night while our allies are sleeping peacefully.”

Though these airmen are young, they’re qualified, undergoing extensive training to manage the missiles, 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs Chief of Media Relations Glenn Robertson said.

“Our operators train at the ready every single day to be able to provide this capability,” Murgatroyd said. “It’s an honor to be here in Wyoming. It’s an honor to be at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. We’re very thankful for the opportunities and the community that supports us.”

Crews of airmen specialize in Minuteman III systems, allowing them to monitor systems and perform maintenance when needed.

Airmen cycling in and out of the facilities typically take on 24-hour shifts to survey the missile field from LCCs. During Wyoming’s often brutal winter season, however, their shifts can last up to 72 hours.

At any point during those shifts, the airmen could be alerted to slight disturbances in the missile field, at which point they can inform the airmen on duty above ground so the site can be inspected. Those airmen are also doing additional monitoring of sites, responding to the slightest disturbance by a mouse or stray cat the same way they would a human threat, Murgatroyd said.

Though these airmen are well qualified to play their role in nuclear deterrence operations, snippets of their youthful demeanor are prevalent throughout the facility.

Old Marvel comic cutouts line the halls above ground next to site information posters, and below ground, the walls have been decorated through the years, with signatures from past crews, pop culture doodles and murals depicting F.E. Warren Air Force Base’s long history.

Even safety warnings demonstrate past crews’ humor. Posted next to a nautical-looking wheel on the elevator blast shaft door, an addition has been made, in Sharpie, to the safety warnings reading, “Slowly, this is not the Black Pearl, and you are not Jack Sparrow.”

Bits of normalcy have made their way into the LCC, as well, which recently got a small television with access to Netflix for use during occasional downtime.

Beyond that, the capsule is anything but a normal workspace. The structure is suspended by shock isolators, protecting the equipment from any surrounding movement, such as earthquakes.

Life underground isn’t without its downfalls. The lack of sunlight can interfere with the airmen’s rest and vitamin D intake. The loud and constant hum of equipment and occasional alarms doesn’t help with rest, either.

“The room is for anything regarding executing launch orders, maintaining eyes on the missile field and just maintaining security, as well,” 1st Lt. Harrison Martin said, gesturing around the small control capsule.

Martin is a crew commander on shift in the capsule. In the worst-case scenario, he and the missileer on duty with him would play a role in launching the Minuteman missiles.

One capsule is in direct control of 10 launch facilities, Martin said. Though the responsibility is enormous, it would take much more than the two airmen on duty to launch the missiles.

“The weapon is inherently safe,” Martin said. “There are so many fail-safes involved. If he (the missileer) and I wanted to go rogue, we couldn’t. Even if we tried our hardest, there are other capsules that would stop us.”

Within the capsule are two small screens, with grids that indicate the status of each site. Should any disturbances occur, it is the job of the crew commander and missileer on duty to alert the crews that maintain the missile field.

“They’re the ones out there risking injury, life for even life, potentially, depending on what type of maintenance they’re doing to make sure that our weapon system stays alive and we’re able to execute when necessary,” Martin said.

When airmen leave the wing, their knowledge and experience aren’t wasted.

“The rest of our country calls on us to be nuclear experts,” Murgatroyd said. “... The rest of the Air Force and the rest of the military, as a whole, will look at us to have that information on what it means to be a nuclear operator, but also to utilize and understand nuclear weapons as a whole.”

Though these sites are active 24 hours a day, seven days a week, constantly undergoing maintenance to ensure they’re functional and secure, the system is decades old. The Minuteman III nuclear missiles were designed, built and installed underground largely in the 1960s. While updates have been made through the years, the design of the LCCs and their support systems gives away their age.

A series of sounds and color codes alert airmen to varying issues, but no visuals are available to them.

The daily operations of the MAFs, like Alpha-01, have rarely directly impacted the daily lives of Wyomingites since local landowners came to land-use agreements with the military in the 1960s.

Because of the age of this system, however, the Air Force is preparing what will likely impact the residents of southeastern Wyoming: The replacement of Minuteman III with the roughly $141 billion Sentinel nuclear weapons program, currently in development.

Specific plans for the implementation of the Sentinel project are not yet public knowledge. However, local communities are already concerned about the impact of removing these existing missile facilities, according to previous reporting done by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

“We will be getting Sentinel at some point, and we’re looking forward to that,” Murgatroyd said Wednesday. “However, our job is to be the experts on Minuteman III for the time being.”

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