From: jlp@math.byu.edu (Jan L. Peterson)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Accidental ICBM Launch
Date: 15 Apr 92 04:03:08 GMT
Organization: AT&T


From jlp@math.byu.edu (Jan L. Peterson)

> Standard disclaimer - I've never been close to a missile silo either.

Well, I've been in a below ground trainer LCC (Launch Control Complex)
at Vandenberg AFB as well as an above ground trainer at Malmstrom AFB
and have actually participated in a key-turn exercise in a trainer.
Although this was several years ago, here's what I can remember about
the Minuteman launch procedures:

A Minuteman wing is composed of five LCCs, each associated with ten
LCs (the actual missile silo).  Therefor, a Minuteman wing has fifty
missiles at it's disposal under the authority of ten men (two in each
LCC).  In order for a missile to launch, it must receive two launch
votes from two separate LCCs.  These votes must arrive within some
small number of minutes of each other.  On receipt of the first launch
vote, alarms sound in all five LCCs in the wing.  Each deputy launch
officer has a board that can display the status of his squadron's
missiles and an auxiliary board that can be used to select a display
of any of the other four squadron's missiles.  Any LCC can issue a
launch inhibit command through a similar procedure that is used to
issue a launch vote (i.e. both launch officers must issue a key-turn).

In a go-to-war situation, the crews will have known that situations
were escalating and will have been instructed by a command authority
to remove their keys from locked boxes located in each LCC.  In the
event that this happened, the door of the LCC would be closed (in 
normal operations, the door is left open).  If necessary, another
instruction from a command authority will require the crew members to
insert their keys in the switches.  This action cannot be reversed.
Once the keys have been inserted, it takes a maintenance person
several hours to remove them.  (One of my old AFROTC instructors -- at
that time Capt. Brockman -- told us of one time when he was on alert
that the world situation escalted to the point where they inserted
keys.  It only happened once in his four years in the missile field.)

If it is determined that we are going to war, a command authority (I
believe this has to be the President) will instruct that the weapons
be launched.  At this point, the launch officers will have a count and
will turn their keys (they must both turn within some small amount of
time, but I can't remember the exact time limit).  This issues one
launch vote.  Another LCC will issue another launch vote.  They must
do so within some small number of minutes (I think two).  At this
point, the missile launch sequence will be started.

Depending on the target profile, some missiles will launch right away,
some will wait a set time and then launch, and some will be held for a
second strike (requiring additional launch votes).

In the event that all five LCCs are destroyed without being able to
launch their missiles, an Airborne Command Post aircraft (based on a
KC-135) can fly over the missile and issue a launch order directly.
I'm not familiar with procedures on the ACP, however.

With Minuteman I and Minuteman II, setting the target data and launch
profile requires a trip out to the missile.  With the Minuteman III
(and I presume the MX, none were in service when I was learning all of
this), the missile can be programmed from the LCC.

Sorry this is so long.  I hope this reassures some of you.  It is very
very unlikely that any Minuteman missile was ever launched accidently.

> 2).  The double-key scenario - what would they do if one
> of the officers decided NOT to turn the key.  According to the
> story, they worked out an alternative.  Take a string, wrap
> it around the key a few times, then bring the string over to
> your position, and when needed, just pull the string.

I've participated in a launch exercise where I was acting as the
deputy launch officer and turned the key (this was in a simulator).
The key is not easy to turn.  I doubt you would be able to turn it
with a pulled string.  Also, the consoles are at right angles to each
other, so you would need to rig some sort of pully mechanism.

It takes two launch votes from any two LCCs in the wing, so if one LCC
did not issue it's launch vote (for any reason), the launch could
still take place.

	-jan-
--
        Jan L. Peterson		Network Systems Manager
EMail:  jlp@hamblin.math.byu.edu
Mail:   Math Department -- 292 TMCB; BYU; Provo, UT 84602 (USA)
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