Brown, Dale - Patrick McLanahan 02

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as
well as any messages that terminated our sortie. After each weapons release, if
possible, we transmit a strike report that gives SAC our best estimate of our
success in destroying each assigned target. The message also updates SAC on our
progress and advises them of any difficulties in proceeding with the mission.
Of course, staying on time, on course and alert has priority over all SATCOM or
HF message traffic. All strike messages can wait until we climb out of the
low-level portion of the route and are on the way to our post-strike base.
These messages can also be delivered to other SAC personnel heading stateside,
to U.S. foreign offices, or to overseas military bases capable of secure
transmissions to SAC headquarters.”
                 He
pointed further along the route. “Other messages will include launch reports
from the post-strike and each recovery base: NUDET—nuclear detonation—position
reports, GLASS EYE combat damage
reports, severe weather reports, continental-defense-zone entry reports and
sortie recovery and regeneration reports.”
                 James
lowered his pointer and stepped away from the charts. “SIOP communications are
extremely important, and the SAC aircraft involved with the execution of our
Single Integrated Operations Plan are a front-line asset in keeping the
Strategic Air Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the National Command
Authority advised of the progress worldwide of any conflict. We feel we have
the world’s most up-to- date and survivable communications networks, but of
course it’s no good unless each aircrewman uses it effectively.” He looked
around the empty briefing room. “That concludes my annual Mission Certification
briefing, Colonel Adams. Any questions, sir?”
                 “Not
bad, not bad—for a pilot,” came a voice from the back of the room. Kenneth
frowned at the man who came in now and began to pack up the briefing charts and
diagrams.
                 “Kiss
my ass, Murphy,” Ken said. “It was a perfect briefing-even for a navigator.”
                 Captain
Brian Murphy, James’ offensive-systems officer on his B-i crew, had to admit
it. “Yeah, it was, Ken. No doubt about it. But why are you spending so much
time on that stuff? On an Emergency War Order certification, briefing is done
by the radar nav or the defensive-systems operator. Not by the pilots.”
                 “I
heard Adams likes to hit his mission-ready crews with
little surprises,” Ken said. “His favorite is mixing up the usual briefing
routines to make sure each guy on the crew is familiar with the other guy’s
responsibilities. He likes to hit navs with pilot questions, too—how well do you know your abort-decision matrices?”
                 Murphy
shrugged. “I’ll bone up on that stuff before the briefing tomorrow. These
briefings are bull anyway... Coming to the Club with us for lunch?”
                 “In
a while, it’s only eleven-thirty. I’ll meet you there at noon .”
                 “Man,
you are so dedicated.”
                 “Knock
it off.”
                 “No,
really, I mean it,” James’ crew navigator said. “You’re always studying. You
know your stuff backwards and forwards, and you know everyone else’s too. If
it’s not EWO communications procedures it’s security or avionics or computers
or target study. You got your hands in everything.”
                 “That’s
my job, Murph.”
                 “Well,
at least you’re getting some reward for it. Making commander of a B-i Excalibur
in less than two years was moon- talk until you came along. They’re saying you
might make flight commander in a few weeks. You’re really burning up the
program.”
                 James
slapped his pencil down on the table, smiled. “You’re buttering me up, man.
Okay, okay, I’ll buy lunch.

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