TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. —
The AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missile is america’ solely nuclear cruise missile and, since 1982, it has been a key element of the nuclear triad, offering the nation with strategic capabilities that guarantee America’s allies and deter its adversaries.
Though the missile was initially designed with a 10-year lifespan, it has been in use for the previous 35 years as a result of sustainment program managed by the Air Power Nuclear Weapons Heart’s Missile Sustainment Division right here.
Whereas it’s hoped that the ALCM by no means needs to be launched, it will probably additionally by no means be doubted. That’s the place the Air Power Nuclear Weapons Heart’s Missile Sustainment Division right here comes into play, and with a mission so necessary they’re working to maintain the way forward for the division’s crew via the 2022 ALCM Summer time Coaching Program.
That is the third 12 months for this system, which was cancelled in 2020 as a consequence of COVID-19 restrictions. Two courses had been held this 12 months on June 6-10 and June 13-17.
Edward Rua, chief, Missile Sustainment Division, welcomed the scholars on the primary day of every class.
“The ALCM Summer time Coaching Program is a superb alternative for top school-aged children of staff who work right here within the ALCM program workplace and different program places of work at Tinker to come back and get a real expertise of what it is wish to work in a program workplace,” Rua mentioned. “These children are being uncovered to a variety of the identical instruments utilized in a program workplace to execute packages in any respect ranges.”
“We run children via eventualities of actual points we have had associated to the ALCM and permit them to provide you with progressive options and decide how they’d execute these options and transient the senior management crew to get approval on their suggestions,” Rua mentioned. “These are the true issues we do within this system workplace day by day.”
“I strongly imagine these children are our future,” Rua mentioned. “If we are able to get highschool college students , not essentially working right here on this workplace, however discovering one thing that they will construct from and be actually excited and to work right here at Tinker AFB, that is good for the Air Power, the Division of Protection and for the nation as an entire.”
On Day One of many week-long program, the scholars had been break up into teams and immersed into an issue, after which required to transient on how they’re going to place their crew collectively, what they’re constitution is and the way they’re going to work on it, in addition to discussing their dangers.
“The ALCM Summer time Coaching Program affords college students a beautiful alternative to realize extra perception to the Air Power mission at Tinker Air Power Base via the varied excursions throughout base, shows and crew undertaking,” mentioned Robert Dang, chief engineer, Missile Sustainment Division. “Hopefully, these actions will spark curiosity in direction of potential future profession aspirations, not solely within the science, know-how, engineering and arithmetic fields, but in addition in program administration, logistics, contracting, monetary administration and operations areas.”
On the finish of the week, all of this info is briefed by the scholars to Rua, in addition to different division department chiefs.
As well as, excursions, shows and briefings had been offered by an unlimited array of Tinker organizations which help the division’s mission, together with the 72nd Operations Help Squadron, 557th Software program Upkeep Squadron and 565th Plane Upkeep Squadron.
New this 12 months, the 76th Commodities Upkeep Group’s Reverse Engineering and Vital Tooling Flight additionally supported the coaching program with excursions that allowed college students to see the sensible purposes of laser scanning, additive manufacturing and computer-aided design.
Further visitor audio system included the Air Power Sustainment Heart’s historian and a number of other Air Power officers, in addition to shows masking features of qualifying for the U.S. Air Power Academy, ROTC and Officer Coaching Faculty for college kids with curiosity in serving our nation.
Extra on AFNWC
The Air Power Nuclear Weapons Heart is the nuclear-focused middle inside Air Power Materiel Command, synchronizing all features of nuclear materiel administration on behalf of the AFMC commander in direct help of Air Power International Strike Command. It consists of 5 main execution directorates: Air-Delivered Capabilities; Minuteman III Programs; Nuclear Command, Management, and Communications Integration; Nuclear Know-how and Integration; and Sentinel (previously often known as the Floor Primarily based Strategic Deterrent) Programs, in addition to a number of directorates in numerous useful areas, similar to contracting, personnel, and so on.
Programs managed by the Air-Delivered Capabilities directorate embrace the B61-12 gravity bomb’s tail package meeting, Lengthy Vary Standoff Weapon, W80-4 life extension program, abroad Weapon Storage and Safety System, Safe Transportable Upkeep System, Protecting Plane Shelter Inside Intrusion Detection System, and ALCM sustainment, in addition to interfacing with the Division of Vitality’s Nationwide Nuclear Safety Administration for the administration of the B61-12 bomb and W80-4 warhead life extension packages.
