MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- The leadership at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, knows how important it is that the population of the base embraces the day-to-day mission of the 341st Missile Wing. For this reason, a series of tours are being developed to showcase the Airmen, vehicles and tools that secure, operate and maintain the wing's 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Each month a bus from the 341st Logistics Readiness Squadron takes Airmen who are new to the base--attendees of the Right Start program and recent graduates of the First Term Airman's Center--around the installation to visit the Missile Procedures Trainer, Launch Facility T-9 missile maintenance trainer, 40th Helicopter Squadron facilities and base museum. The Airmen also get a windshield tour of the weapons storage area and see demonstrations by the 341st Security Forces Group including the Tactical Response Force.
Titled simply 'Mission Orientation,' the program began in May after focus groups revealed that Airmen assigned here don't always understand the primary mission of the base or their individual roles in it.
"It's hard for them to appreciate their job each day if they don't know how they contribute to the main mission or what the main mission is," said Chief Master Sgt. Phillip Easton, 341st MW command chief.
While support personnel are often the most distanced from the wing's primary mission, even Airmen who are 'hands-on' in missile operations can benefit from understanding how the team concept ensures overall mission success.
1st Lt. Michael Kraft, 12th Missile Squadron missile combat crew commander, is the primary point of contact for Mission Orientation. He said that while the tours primarily focus on the 341st Maintenance Group, 341st Operations Group and 341st SFG, supplementary briefings show how various support agencies are also part of the wing's mission of deterrence.
"I really enjoy getting to run the program and see the mission spelled out for our newest Airmen," said Kraft. "I think it gives people a sense of understanding how each of the missions of this wing tie together."
Easton is making the mission tours accessible to the overall base population. A tour specifically designed for family members will take visitors to the MPT and the T-9 during the base picnic Aug. 28. Later this year a second monthly program, similar to the Right Start tour, will begin for the active duty population already established here.
Additionally, a modified version of Mission Orientation was launched Aug. 2 for the base's key spouses--civilians who volunteer their time to support unit readiness and morale--that featured a mission brief by Col. Tom Wilcox, 341st MW commander, and a visit to a missile alert facility to see first-hand where Airmen posted to the missile field live and work. This is anticipated to be an annual event, according to Easton. A follow-up tour focusing on the 341st Medical Group, 341st Mission Support Group and the 819th RED HORSE Squadron is already being planned.
Although Mission Orientation is a new initiative and still evolving, it is already generating positive feedback, Easton said.
"We've gotten great reviews saying it's been really eye-opening," he said. "I definitely feel people appreciate and understand the mission now that we've provided this opportunity for them."