Sheppard nuke courses on target

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  It's one of those career fields the Air Force trains Airmen to do, but it's also one that even those selected for the job hope they never have to execute - nuclear weapons.

Sheppard is home to training for three nuclear weapon-related career fields: nuclear maintenance officers, nuclear maintenance technicians and armament technicians.

The job can be a nerve-rattling experience, as a few instructors and Airmen in Training discussed Aug. 20. Tech. Sgt. Matthew Perry, an armament instructor at the 363rd Training Squadron, said he's participated in exercises in preparation for the real thing, but is also thankful they were just that.

"You never want to see them take off," he said of aircraft loaded with nuclear weapons. "We've gotten them to the point to where they are ready to take off, but they never actually leave the ground."

Armament students learn how to receive the bombs from the nuke technicians and then load them on various aircraft. While at Sheppard, they never handle live nuclear weapons, but that doesn't change the severity of the job.

"We haven't seen an actual nuke," said Edwardsville, Ind., native and armament student Airman 1st Class Seth Parker. "But the first time I saw a trainer, it was an awing experience."

Airmen in the armament section of the schoolhouse spend 18 weeks at Sheppard learning how to load bombs on aircraft. Only a select few, however, are able to enter the nuclear realm of their career field as part of the Personal Reliability Program.

Maj. Carlos Dalmau, commander of the 363rd TRS, said the PRP is the Air Force's way of ensuring the best quality Airmen are selected to handle the world's most devastating and powerful weapons. Even a history of driving violations or an imperfect credit score can keep an individual from working with nuclear weapons.

"PRP is a commander's program and the goal is to ensure that only reliable people have access to the nuclear weapons," the major said. "Each member on PRP, or those being considered for PRP duties, have to go through a rigorous screening process to ensure they are mentally, physically and technically competent before they can be certified to be around the weapons."

A recent round of inspections by federal-level agencies reviewed the training process for all nuclear programs at Sheppard.

Major Dalmau said the programs here were recognized as being the model for efficiency and handling of the weapons.

"On every visit, our nuclear training program was taken as a solid and sound program, ensuring that only the most reliable folks are properly trained before heading to the operational world," he said. "Our expertise was used to represent (Air Education and Training Command) at (Air Force) level for the PRP Air Force Instruction rewrite, trained Minot (Air Force Base's) newly assigned squadron and group commanders on nuclear weapons management, and helped validate the (Air Force) Nuclear Weapons Center's nuclear managers course, among other efforts."

Sheppard is the frontline for training nuclear munitions officers through the Nuclear Munitions Officer's Course. Major Dalmau said the course provides fundamental maintenance management practices before officers work in nuclear-tasked units.

"Nuclear weapons maintenance requires and uses processes and procedures that are unique and critical for the safe handling of the weapons and their security," he said.

Words like safety, integrity and reliability are commonly used in the career fields; not just as clichés, but action words. Tech. Sgt. James Eberhart, a nuclear weapons instructor at the school, said Airmen learn early in their training that the handling of nukes can't be taken lightly.

"It's completely serious business," he said. "They're taught from day one. Everything is attention to detail."

That's also why the Air Force trains those who work with nukes in the two-person concept. The two-person concept allows Airmen to help hold each other accountable as well as ensures safety and proper procedures come first.

After getting to their first duty assignment, Airmen will have the opportunity to earn their certification to be part of a nuclear weapons team, another built-in aspect of the career field to ensure the rest of the cream is rising to the top.