Home > News > Article Display

LCC gets deep clean

By Airman 1st Class Dillon Johnston, 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs / Published May 08, 2015

PRINT | E-MAIL
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- A missile alert facility recently underwent a launch control center "deep clean" as part of an effort to improve quality of life for missileers dispatched to the missile field.

MAF "M" is the most recent to receive a LCC cleaning. Using a contracted service, the LCC is temporarily shut down so a more thorough sanitation can be performed.

Daily operations continue as planned during the cleaning, with security forces members monitoring the launch facilities 24/7, while the operations of the LCC are shifted to a neighboring MAF, which keeps the missiles on alert, even with a capsule down.

The missileers still post to their station in the capsule, and are able to watch as their workspace gets a much needed cleaning.

"We spend 24 hours in that environment," said 2nd Lt. Christine Acker, 490th Missile Squadron deputy combat crew commander. "Our only air is coming from upstairs, so having a capsule that's cleaner than it has been after years of 24-hour-a-day constant use will be great."

Normal cleaning which is done by the LCC crews can only get to a small portion of the capsule while remaining operational, and the deep clean allows the capsule to be pulled apart and thoroughly scrubbed.

"There's only so much we can do ourselves down there in terms of what we are allowed to (move) and clean up," said 2nd Lt. Joshua Dishmon, 490th MS deputy combat crew commander.

"When they shut a capsule down, they are able to bring down equipment that we can't use," Acker added. "We have various cleaning products, but that can only get you so far."

The cleaning does more than get the missileer's workspace sanitary; a clean workspace can lead to a better attitude.

"It boosts morale," said 2nd Lt. Aurea Pomalas-Martinez, 490th MS deputy combat crew commander. "Nobody likes to be in a dirty capsule, and it's been a while since they did a deep cleaning. It improves the living conditions for the missileers down there, and therefore improves morale."

"In my personal experience, coming down to a clean capsule, I've had better morale," agreed 1st Lt. Dustin Mountcastle, 490th MS combat crew commander. "Going down there, it definitely helps to have a nice clean capsule, so it's one less thing you have to worry about."

With a fresh clean capsule, missileers are able to stay more focused: keeping all 150 missiles in the field on constant alert.
USAF Comments Policy
If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

  • This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
  • This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.