Missileers spend most of their work shifts 60 feet underground, where they do more than simply wait for the balloon to go up, reports SSgt. Jeremy Larlee. Getting to that hole in the ground for missileers assigned to F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., may take more than an hour on the road, followed by about 90 minutes of security checks. Two missile officers serve in each underground capsule, while topside at the missile alert facility, there are numerous support and security forces personnel to provide food, maintenance, and protection for the “biggest deterrent in the world,” says TSgt. Paul Bobenmoyer, MAF facility manager.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.