U.S.
Nuclear-Missile Crews Pull Longer Tours in Virus-Hit Air Force
- Pilots on call for critical missions, kept in ‘tight bubbles’
- ICBM silo crews now on 14-day rotations, Goldfein says
A deactivated Titan II nuclear ICMB is seen in a silo at the Titan Missile Museum in Green Valley, Arizona.
Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
Air Force personnel manning nuclear missile silos in the U.S. heartland are performing rotations as long as 14 days. Fighter pilots on alert for immediate defense of the U.S. are kept in near-isolation.
It’s all part of the “new abnormal” for the Air Force as it ensures smooth functioning during the coronavirus pandemic, according to General David Goldfein, the service’s chief of staff.