Air Force fails missle takeover drill

[vaskidmark]

Air Force fails nuclear missile takeover drill

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/05/22/air_force_security_failed_a_takeover_drill_at_a_nuclear_silo_in_montana.html

Stanley maintained, though, that his officers had failed the drill by only a few seconds and that it was presented in a different way than usual.

So Al-Qeda or the Russian Mafia or Brand X Terrorists, Inc. will only attack a missile silo in "the usual way"?

After going through the ROE very carefully to make sure everybody could tell the difference between participants in a drill and "This is not a drill!" we brainstormed how to change up the scenarios so that it would not devolve into Major Powers' ambush from "Heartbreak Ridge".  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWzG1TZmXYs

stay safe.

[RoadKingLarry]

Major Powers' ambush from "Heartbreak Ridge

That was the 1st thing I thought of when I heard the story on the radio.

[roo_ster]

On the upside, I am heartened that the AF is using performance-based evaluation rather than requirements-based evaluation. 

I am somewhat disheartened that everybody got fired so soon.  I would want a thorough AAR and in-depth debriefing of the commanders all the way down to the trigger-pullers, first.  Even if I had to go easier on those responsible for the failure.

[KD5NRH]

Maybe it was done with stealth and cunning.  You know, political correctness stopped them from profiling the dark skinned guy in a turban walking out with a 60 foot long 35 ton missile in his pants.

[AmbulanceDriver]

Maybe it was done with stealth and cunning.  You know, political correctness stopped them from profiling the dark skinned guy in a turban walking out with a 60 foot long 35 ton missile in his pants.

Or maybe they just thought he was happy to see them...

[roo_ster]

Maybe it was done with stealth and cunning.  You know, political correctness stopped them from profiling the dark skinned guy in a turban walking out with a 60 foot long 35 ton missile in his pants.

"Hi, my name is MC Warhead, and I approve this message."

[HankB]

Maybe it was done with stealth and cunning.  You know, political correctness stopped them from profiling the dark skinned guy in a turban walking out with a 60 foot long 35 ton missile in his pants.

Actually, the first thing I thought of was that maybe their standard Rules of Engagement don't allow them to shoot without explicit permission, or maybe they have to have an officer "sign out" their ammunition?

[41magsnub]

I see those guys around Great Falls all the time in their armored humvees and whatnot.  I wonder just how armed they really are.  There is never a .50 mounted in any of the turrets.  They do have M16's in the trucks, several years ago there was an incident where they accidentally left one behind at a truck stop.

[RevDisk]

One of the comments hit the nail on the head. If you didn't fail an exercise or drill once in a while, it's not challenging enough. If you simply fire officers that fail, you are not providing training. You're incentivizing exercise/drills over real world performance.

Outside entities should provide a variety of conditions that the security forces would have to confront. Not every scenario has to be a complete victory. What would happen if the Dakota NG lost its marbles and had a single tank as support of a company of infantry. Or arty. Winning might be surviving long enough to bring in reinforcements, or accurately identify the forces in play and getting that information to higher. Goes the USAF folks know how to rush it up the chain to NMCC ? Does NMCC know how to quickly mobilize a response force?

At that kind of high level, you rarely get creative useful drills. You tend to get kabuki theater, intended to prove that the system works perfectly. Gods help you if you have a multiple branch exercise that fails to reach every single objective in less than perfect form, on paper. Reality is significantly less important. I know, the politics. The MSM will make out good training to be the most horrible thing ever. "We had excellent realistic training of Security Detachment Alpha Bravo Charlie. They made some mistakes, but learned a lot in the AARs and improved their future standards" becomes "NUCLEAR WEAPONS UNSECURE!!! ZOMG!!"

[MechAg94]

It wouldn't have worked if they hadn't used the stacking technique shown at the beginning of the newest Indiana Jones movie.  Have all the bad guys line up close behind a skinny woman and the guards can't see them.  



 
That movie was so bad......

[Scout26]

As a comparison when units Rotate to the NTC at Ft. Irwin or when we went to Hohenfels, the "good guys" almost never win.  The scenarios are so hard that you have to be both very, very smart and very, very lucky to get so much as a "tie".  Very little is learned if you aren't challenged, and even more is learned from failure.  The AAR's would make any good commie cry for their self critique.  Observer/Controller - "Well, that nine things you did wrong.  Tell us more about the other 72 mistakes you made." 

I remember after DS/DS and even Iraqi Freedom that units were stating that an NTC rotation was harder and more difficult than actual war.