Courtesy Photo | MAGNA, Utah - Six Sailors were given a rare opportunity to peek behind the curtain of...... read more read more
MAGNA, Utah - Six Sailors were given a rare opportunity to peek behind the curtain of the development of the most lethal, accurate, and reliable sea-based strategic deterrent on the planet during a Reverse Strategic Weapons System (SWS) Week August 17-21.
Reverse SWS Weeks invite ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) crew members to SSP’s Program Management Offices (PMO) and detachments – dispersed throughout the nation – to give them an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the weapons system they maintain and operate while on strategic patrol. The newly established Reverse SWS Week is accelerating understanding of the weapon system for the Sailors.
The submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) Trident II D5 SWS is the most lethal, accurate, and reliable sea-based strategic deterrent on the planet. The U.S. Navy entrusts its premier weapons system to the enlisted servicemen and women aboard the Navy’s SSBNs. These young Sailors maintain, operate, and even sleep next to these missiles, all while keeping the weapons at the highest standard of readiness.
PMOs are SSP’s “eyes in the field” as the government representatives overseeing the design, development, production, installation, and testing for the Trident II D5 SWS at industry partner sites. For the Navy, the partnership between the fleet and PMO is a confidence builder for the sailors who are charged with operating the weapon system on strategic patrol knowing a real person is out there building the system and interested in understanding the Sailor’s experience operating in a real-world environment.
The Sailors who attended SPF’s Reverse SWS Week were handpicked from SSBN crews on the East and West Coasts and sent to SSP PMO Flight Systems’ (SPF) detachment site in Magna, Utah (SPF(B)), where they had the opportunity to see first-hand how the Trident II D5 rocket motors are created.
First Reverse SWS Week for SPF
Senior Chief Petty Officer Dwayne Chapman, the Fleet Liaison and Senior Enlisted Advisor for SPF, observed the benefits of the SSP PMO Shipboard Systems (SPS) Reverse SWS Week training events that have been conducted at SPS in Pittsfield, MA, since 2022, and he saw an opportunity to expand the program to PMOSPF. SPS specializes in shipboard systems associated with the SWS, but SPF’s detachment in Magna, Utah (SPF(B)) specializes in something else entirely: rocket motors.
The rocket motors powering space-bound missiles are notoriously large, and the rocket motor for the Trident II D5 missile is no exception. The Trident II D5 missile is a three-stage, solid-fuel, inertially guided missile, with a range of 4,000 nautical miles. At 44 feet and weighing more than 130,000 pounds, the Trident II D5 rocket motor packs enough power to propel this missile out of Earth’s atmosphere. The manufacturing process to build these solid-fuel behemoths requires space - a lot of it. The logistics of bringing Sailors to multiple sites across significant distances to see the construction of the very SLBMs they sleep next to on their submarines was not going to be easy for SPF’s fleet liaisons.
Operating on a short-fuse timeline, Chapman and his counterpart Chief Petty Officer Taylor Phillips, the fleet liaison for SPF’s detachment in Cape Canaveral, Florida, pulled together a team of government and industry partners to showcase the unique equipment and dedicated people building the Trident II D5 rocket motor.
"I want the fleet to see behind the scenes, and get their buy-in for why the program is as rigorous as it is when it comes to things like changes and updates,” said Chapman.
Phillips also wanted to use the week to recognize the Sailors for their hard work. This would be an opportunity to reinforce their role defending the nation and remind them that what they do day-in and day-out matters.
“The job is not easy by any means, and we need the best Sailors to perform it,” said Phillips. “We are the tip of the spear protecting families across the country, and I cannot think of a better reason to do something, knowing I am adding a stitch every day to the blanket of freedom my friends and family sleep soundly under each and every night.”
What is a Missile Technician
The six Sailors gathered in a hotel lobby before the sun rose on Monday, August 18, have a wide range of backgrounds and experiences in the fleet. From some of the newest enlisted submariners to those serving aboard SSBNs for nearly a decade, each had their own story that brought them to Navy service. They all had one thing they all had in common though. They occupied a unique role aboard their submarines - missile technician.
“Missile technicians are responsible for operating and maintaining the whole strategic weapons system aboard the submarine,” said Petty Officer Second Class William Pulley, a missile technician on the USS Tennessee (SSBN 734). “We do a lot of work with the hydraulic systems, hydro pressure, nitrogen and air, and missile tube heating and cooling, as well as a lot of nuclear weapons security, which is another facet.”
“When you’re on a submarine you’re not just doing your job – you're doing multiple jobs,” said Petty Officer Second Class Ashlynn Spialek, referring to the multiple collateral duties that submariners are expected to be proficient in, given the small size of the crew.
“My parents were both in the Navy,” said Spialek, a missile technician on USS Wyoming (SSBN 742). “My mom was on a surface ship and my dad was a quartermaster. I grew up with them talking about the Navy and they made it sound really cool.”
“I wanted to do something different,” said Spialek when asked about what made her select the missile technician career path. “I wanted to bring something else to the table and experience a different side of the Navy.”
Rocket Motors 101
Missile technicians are a rare breed of Sailor, and SLBMs are a rare breed of rocket. Designed to be launched from a submerged SSBN below the oceans’ surface and able to achieve a flight trajectory into space at altitudes higher than the Space Station, the Trident II D5 SWS is a tangible representation of the U.S. Navy operating from sea to space.
The Trident II D5 SLBM has a three-stage rocket motor, and each stage has a unique role. After the missile is launched from the submarine and broaches the ocean surface, the first stage rocket motor ignites, providing the initial burst of power needed to boost the missile into the air and propel it towards Earth’s atmosphere. Once the motor is spent, it is jettisoned – dropped – from the missile, reducing its weight and allowing the second-stage motor to ignite. The second stage continues to accelerate the missile, getting it to the perfect speed and altitude for third-stage ignition. After the second stage separates, the third stage provides the final boost before the equipment section takes over to release its payload.
Each rocket motor assembly has three critical components: the nozzle, the ignitor, and the chamber. Only when all of these are present will a rocket motor function and help the missile achieve sustained flight.
SPF(B) oversees the construction and assembly of each rocket motor stage at industry partner facilities scattered throughout Utah, with the government team primarily based in Magna.
“We are embedded with the contractor because we are the design engineer,” said Bart Hall, the lead explosive safety officer for SPF(B). “There’s a requirement to have government oversite here.”
With both SPF(B) and industry teams having a robust on-site presence, some of the smartest people in the world can be found working hand-in-hand on the lifecycle management of the Trident II D5 missile.
“Folks in this office are no-kidding rocket scientists,” said Hall, as he introduced SPF and industry experts to the Sailors at the site.
Throughout their discussions, the Sailors valued the depth of knowledge and how willing the SPF(B) and industry representatives were to share their expertise. Sailors learned new details about the complexities of building these missiles, giving them a new-found appreciation for the SWS they support. For a few of the Sailors who had participated in flight tests, it added to the sense of awe they felt launching an unarmed Trident II D5 as part a flight test.
“Being able to put your guys’ rockets into space was the culmination of my job – I felt like ‘oh look, this stuff actually works!’” said Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Keller, a missile technician on USS Kentucky (SSBN 737), talking about his experience during a flight test he participated in aboard USS Kentucky.
In addition to an inside look at the more technical aspects of the missile, the Sailors gained important context and details about the restrictions and rules that govern how they maintain and handle the missiles aboard their SSBNs. SPF(B) representatives walked through some of the common issues and procedural frustrations that missile technicians have when conducting routine maintenance on the missiles and explained why the rules are set up that way. The Sailors came away with new information framing procedures in context and an understanding that requirements are carefully coordinated between SPF(B) and the fleet to ensure the highest standards of safety for the crew.
“We’re hearing from the horse’s mouth why these technical requirements are so important,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Patrick Smith, the Submarine Squadron 20 representative who helped organize the week’s events from the fleet side.
Handcrafting the Nation’s Sea-Based Strategic Deterrent
The opportunity for Sailors to come face-to-face with the Trident II D5 missile and to experience the production and disposal processes, is what truly sets SPF’s Reverse SWS Week apart from other events.
The tours and educational sessions the Sailors attended showed them that building the Trident II D5 missile is complex, and there is strong technical reasoning behind the procedures they follow when working on the missiles aboard the SSBN. Industry partners and SPF representatives, led by Lt. Cmdr. Justin Laddusaw, officer-in-charge for SPF(B), broke down how the configuration of the SSBN impacts how the missiles is built and explained how the PMO oversees industry as they carefully construct the missile.
At one stop on the tour, Sailors filed into a non-descript building, stopping in front of a machine responsible for the creation of the propellant that powers all 130,000 pounds of the missile into the air. Gazing at what was described as the “world’s largest kitchen stand-mixer,” the Sailors learned unique characteristics of the specialized equipment with the capacity and power to mix the amount of rocket propellant the Trident II D5 requires.
As Sailors took in the scope of the production, experts guided them from building to building, showing the infrastructure, tools, and workforce responsible for handcrafting the Navy’s strategic deterrent, much of which has been contributing to the SLBM program for longer than the Sailors have been alive.
“It’s pretty amazing,” said Smith, learning about the equipment in-use since the first Trident II D5 rocket motor production started in 1985. “It’s crazy to think that we came up with all of this 40-plus years ago.”
Equally impressive to the junior crewmembers was how much of the rocket motor production process was done by hand. In a large warehouse, upbeat music played over the speakers as a group of industry employees hand-painted the missiles, frequently pausing to cast an expert eye over their work to find any imperfections. The painting is only one example of the work that is still done by hand at these facilities. The attention to detail and the expectation of perfection every time is one of the reasons that working on the Trident II D5 is a coveted role for many on the team.
That continuity of production is essential to maintaining the capability designed into the weapons system. One of SPF’s priorities during Reverse SWS Week is to give the missile technicians a sound understanding of why the technical standards and policies for the missiles they work on are so rigid. Even the smallest changes to procedures have to go through controls and approvals, regardless of if those changes are being implemented during the construction of the rocket motor in Utah or during the maintenance and operation of the missile aboard a SSBN.
Bekah Moore, an operations director with Northrop Grumman that supports the Navy’s SLBM efforts, agreed the hands-on work continues to be a defining quality of the D5 rocket motor program.
“We really rely on the ‘technician feel,’” she said,” referring to the familiarity that seasoned technicians feel with the machinery that they operate, which allows them to pick up on the smallest of issues.
That ‘technician feel’ is something that resonated with the missile technicians in the group and it left them with a new level of respect for the craftsmen.
“We take it seriously at the plant,” said Laddusaw. He emphasized that what may seem like a minor technicality in a long procedure could actually have an outsized impact on the weapons system. “SSP takes change control seriously – everything comes into play. We’re not loosey-goosey.”
Hearing the same message from rocket scientists, experienced missile handlers, and senior officers struck a chord with the Sailors.
“You can see that the same care for the missiles is given here as it is on the boat,” said Keller.
“A lot of people stay with the D5 program because it’s steady and it’s a really great program,” said Leo Reingauld, the tour lead for Northrop Grumman, the industry partner that handles the day-to-day operations of the rocket motor facilities. “We’re proud of the people working on D5 here, and it makes a difference to see you [the Sailors] here.”
“The level of passion and level of knowledge that you all put into your work is so impressive,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Amacio Valenzuela, a missile technician on USS Kentucky (SSBN 737), speaking to workers on the production floor.
Petty Officer 1st Class Brendan Wood, a missile technician on USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) later reflected that reaching this understanding was the most valuable part of the training for him.
“It was the best part of the trip,” said Wood. “Just knowing that we’re not doing things on the boat for no reason.”
Air Force Partnership
While SPF is the “cradle” where Trident II D5 comes to life, it is also the proverbial “grave” where the rocket motors are disposed when they reach the end of their service life.
“Like salmon swimming upstream, the motors come back home,” said John Dallimore, the Northrop Grumman D5 program production manager.
As the final step in disposal, SPF(B) partners with Air Force units of the 75th Air Base Wing at Hill Air Force Base. The wing executes oversight the U.S. Navy’s submarine-launched ballistic missile rocket motor disposal initiative. Partnership and strong communication at every step of the disposal process is a hallmark of the team that accomplishes this final step in the SLBM life-cycle. As part of Reverse SWS Week, the Sailors were able to watch a thermal treatment disposal of a rocket motor, highlighting the full life-cycle of SSP’s responsibility over the SWS.
That partnership and commitment to the nation’s nuclear deterrent mission was also on display as Sailors and Airmen participated in a joint tour with the Air Force 309th Missile Maintenance Group at Hill Air Force Base. The tour provided practical knowledge of the maintenance and testing for the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), the land-based leg of the nuclear triad.
Throughout the tour, Sailors learned about the similarities and differences between Air Force missile maintenance specialists and the Navy missile technicians and connected over their chosen career fields as keepers of two legs of the nation’s nuclear triad.
Comparing the challenges of life aboard a SSBN and that of manning ICBM control rooms, Sailors and Airmen began sharing their similar experiences, shouldering the responsibilities for the nation’s deterrent. One Airman thanked the Sailors for their service, recognizing that their long strategic patrols, with limited contact with friends and family, was a unique challenge.
Refilling the Tanks
As the week drew to a close, Chapman reflected on SPF’s first Reverse SWS Week, and what he hoped the Sailors got out of it.
“We all understand the job of strategic deterrence, but it can be very monotonous,” said Chapman, “The guys and gals in the fleet are doing a tough job, and I’ve been wanting to bring them out here to see the cool side – and it’s all been worth it. They've been holding each other accountable to the high standards of this program, and this gives them a refill in their tanks.”
Without reservation, each of the six Sailors expressed that they came away from the week with increased knowledge and enthusiasm for their roles, and for the Navy’s strategic deterrence mission.
“It was great getting to see how everything was put together,” said Spialeck. “when you’re crawling around [on the SSBN] and looking at the missile, you don’t get to see everything that we saw today.”
“I want to take the interesting things we learned here and take it back to my boat [...] if we could get more trips like this where missile technicians can see the production of everything and learn more about their job, and connect with the people around them, I think that would be very beneficial.
SLBMs are one leg of the nation’s Nuclear Triad, which also includes the U.S. Air Force’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and nuclear-capable bombers. Each part of the Triad provides unique capabilities and advantages; however, SLBMs make up the majority – approximately 70 percent – of the U.S.’ deployed strategic nuclear deterrent. SLBMs are not only the most survivable leg of the Nuclear Triad, but also provide persistent presence and allow flexible concept of operations to military senior leaders.
| Date Taken: | 09.23.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2025 10:09 |
| Story ID: | 549065 |
| Location: | MAGNA, UTAH, US |
| Web Views: | 278 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Peeking Behind the Curtain: Strategic Systems Programs’ New Fleet Experience Informs and Inspires, by Shelby Thompson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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