Sailors serving in the Missile Technician (MT) rating aboard one of the U.S. Navy’s fourteen Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs) are tasked with duties that, in terms of ultimate consequences, have significantly more serious implications than those of almost other enlisted rating. Simply put, they are the ones who would be called upon to execute the launching of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) tipped with nuclear warheads.
When you first read about the Department of Defense’s Personnel Reliability Program (PRP) that aspiring Sailors must pass before they begin training as Missile Technicians, you might think it’s designed to weed out someone who might use nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons recklessly or through carelessness lose control of them. As you ponder a strategic nuclear launch from an SSBN, however, it becomes clear that another goal of the PRP has to be the assurance that Sailors will actually obey the command and launch a weapon with a potential to cause destruction on a massive scale.
Ohio-class submarines carry two dozen submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and each of these has multiple warheads that can be sent to independent targets. The primary ICBM is the Trident II, and all MT Sailors receive extensive training in the missile and associated systems.
The principal reason SSBNs provide such an excellent level of deterrence is the fact they are immune to counterstrikes will submerged. These submarines are designed to remain on patrol for extended periods of time, even to the point that the time for refueling and replenishment of supplies has been minimized with the addition of three large “logistic hatches” for quickly bringing necessary items on board. On average, the SSBNs spent about eleven weeks at sea followed by five weeks in port for maintenance. Additionally, each SSBN has two crews that alternate manning the sub when it does go out on patrol, maximizing crew morale, readiness, and training.
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