Linking the Airmen in the Hole

The Air Force has given missileers at one of its ICBM alert facilities the ability to link to the outside world for mundane work not just their primary mission. The airmen in underground launch control center Juliet-01, part of the ICBM force of Minot AFB, N.D., can use a dedicated system called Netlink to pursue professional military education or graduate degrees and work on various military reports, which officials think will increase their productivity. And, the new LCC Netlink connects to external monitoring equipment to provide the launch crews with “better situational awareness.” The Air Force plans to test the system for 60 days.