ICBM Systems DirectorateMinuteman III

Lead Service: US Air Force

System Role: Nuclear Force Projection

System Name: Minuteman III

ACAT Level: I, O&S Phase

KPPs: Availability, Reliability, Accuracy, and Hardness/Survivability

System Users: USSTRATCOM, AF Global Strike Command (AFGSC)

Support Integrator(s): 798th Supply Chain Management Group, BAE Systems, Northrup-Grumman, Lockheed-Martin

Number of Systems: 2, Flight & Ground; 8 major subsystems

Next Major Life Cycle Milestone/Decision: N/A

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ICBM Mission

2

24/7/365 Alert Holds Targets at Risk Rapid Receipt and Response

to Emergency Action Messages (EAMs)

Flexible Response Against Our Enemies Should Deterrence Fail

Safe

Secure

Responsive

Long Range

Nuclear Capable

Penetrate Defenses

Flexible

Accurate

Reliable

High Availability

Survivable

Post Attack Life

Minuteman III Weapon System

3

Launch Facility and Missile Launch Control Center

ICBM Systems Directorate Product Support Organization

4

Product Support Manager

Product Support

Providers

Sustainment Logistics

Guidance Repair

Contract

Contracted Logistics Support

DLA Supply Chain Management

Group

Acquisition Logistics

Missile Maintenance

GroupDLA Aviation Ground

SystemsFlight

Systems

Product Support Team includes: ~40 government employees ~ 6 contractors

DLA Ogden

Flight Systems

Ground Systems

Supply ChainResourcing

Challenge: Sustainment Through Transition

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Ground-Based Strategic DeterrentCurrent Requirement

Top 5 ICBM PSM Challenges

1. Availability ¹ Reliability ¹ Accuracy ¹

Hardness

2. Detecting and Projecting Sustainment

Issues

3. Infrastructure Sustainment

4. Another Series of Unintegrated and

Incremental Sustainment Plans

5. Thinking Deterrence is our Mission6

Lessons Learned

Issue Action

Engender a sustainment-oriented culture throughout Program Office and develop an integrated approach to sustaining a fielded, aging weapon system

- System-level LCSP - Life Cycle Logistics Crosstalks- PSM participation in early acquisition

and milestone decisions; - Development of tools, templates,

samples, and master schedule for LHAs, BCAs, LCSPs, and PSAs

- Dedicated LCLs for AML ProgramsSustainment Funding was controlled by finance branch without Product Support oversight or insight, sustainment resourcing optimized financial goals rather than sustainment

- Established sustainment funds oversight section in PSM Office;

- Rapid improvement event with Product Support, Finance, and Supported Command (Global Strike Command) to define roles and missions, produced guidebook

- Link resourcing to Key Performance Parameters and weapon system risk

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Lessons Learned (cont)

Issue Action

Supported command (AFGSC) had a near-term prioritization bias for funding: “green time is prime!” (Availability)

Product Support Evangelism; System-level LCSP; focused resourcing impact statements with emphasis on capabilities, i.e. workforce-skills preservation, aging-surveillance contribution to lifetime predictions, and programmed depot maintenance performance impacts

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