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Montana Missiles: 'Ace in Hole'

Aired October 17, 2002 - 10:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Forty years ago this week, the Cuban missile crisis nearly brought the nation to nuclear war. Back in 1962, President Kennedy called America's missile alert facility in Montana the nation's "ace in the hole."
Well, it is still on alert today, believe it or not, and CNN's Jeff Flock is there, standing by with an exclusive live look at the facility and the security surrounding it -- Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. I'm where not too many people get, Leon, and that is inside the gates here. I want to give you some perspective of where we are.

You know, it would have been extraordinary to be here 40 years ago to this day, because they had just received those U-2 spy plane photographs, which showed the attempted installation of Soviet missiles in Cuba. And so, this facility, already being built, was really rushed to readiness.

We look down the shaft and see beneath some of the first pictures you are seeing live of this -- not launch facility -- but launch control facility. There are missiles arrayed, 200 of them, all around Montana plains and hills, and this is one of the locations from which they are launched.

One of the key factors out here: security.

You're sitting on a nuclear arsenal, are you not, Sergeant Caudill? And you need to protect that, correct?

STAFF SGT. BRIAN CAUDILL, MALMSTROM AFB SECURITY: That's right. We are one of the most secure areas in the United States, actually in the world.

FLOCK: You know, we looked at what happened on September 11. You know that these hills that you see off over your shoulder have got nuclear missiles. This is the launch facility. You need to protect this. What was going through your mind on September 11 about how much vulnerability you had out here?

CAUDILL: Well, just like everyone, and not just here, but when something like that happens in the United States, it hits everyone. The mission here did not change one bit. We do the same job every day, day-in and day-out. Nothing has changed since September 11. We are still the same.

FLOCK: I can, obviously, testify how difficult it is to get into this facility, even if they know you're coming.

May I ask if you're armed?

CAUDILL: That's right. I'm armed with an M16 AT rifle. We all carry 180 rounds of 5.52 ball ammunition. Everyone that comes out to the missile field, all security forces carry this weapon right here.

FLOCK: And as you said, the mission didn't change on September 11, but your threat level changed at that time, did it not?

CAUDILL: That's right. The threat level changed. We did extra security, and different measures as far as securing the top side of this mat (ph) that we're at now.

FLOCK: Now, you talk about the top side. Let's look at -- beneath the ground. We're about what, 60, 65 feet down there? And that is literally the place where men and women have their fingers on the launch button, on the nuclear switch. You obviously take very seriously keeping that facility secure. How easy, if that's the appropriate word to use, is it to get down there?

CAUDILL: It's not easy at all. I'm sure you can attest to that. That is one of the most secure areas in the world. It is very hard to get down there.

FLOCK: The wing commander came out for an interview with us this morning. You didn't let him in right away. Why not?

CAUDILL: Well, everybody has to be identified before they come onto this facility. And no matter who you are, you will always be identified, and you have to be approved to come on this site.

FLOCK: But, I mean, you kept him waiting outside the gate here. You made him pass his ID through the gate. You went and verified that and came back. I mean, it wasn't like -- you kept him waiting, and you took your time.

CAUDILL: That's right. We have certain security measures that we need to go through -- no matter who the individual is at the gate that we need to go through before we can allow entry of that person.

FLOCK: Before we get away here and perhaps we can take one more look downstairs. Do you have a sense of the enormity of the job that you are performing out here, sitting literally on the nation's nuclear arsenal?

CAUDILL: To me, this is one of the biggest jobs in the entire world. We take it serious out here. This is a tough job, and it's not for everyone. But this is the toughest job in the United States, I guarantee it.

FLOCK: Sergeant Caudill, I appreciate the time, sir. Thank you very much, and thanks for letting me in as well.

An extraordinary place to be, Leon, 40 years ago -- to have been here 40 years ago and to have seen what this looked like with missiles for the first time on alert as the Cuban missile crisis played out must have been quite a place to be.

That's the latest from here, and we will be back, I should point out, Leon, next hour, back down beneath the ground right there live to give you that up-close and personal as well.

Back to you.

HARRIS: Hey, that's great. That's great. Thanks, Jeff. That kind of just gives me chills just thinking about that when you bring that historical point up. Interesting.

All right, thanks, Jeff. We'll check back with you next hour, OK?

FLOCK: Thank you, sir.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired October 17, 2002 - 10:26   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Forty years ago this week, the Cuban missile crisis nearly brought the nation to nuclear war. Back in 1962, President Kennedy called America's missile alert facility in Montana the nation's "ace in the hole."
Well, it is still on alert today, believe it or not, and CNN's Jeff Flock is there, standing by with an exclusive live look at the facility and the security surrounding it -- Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. I'm where not too many people get, Leon, and that is inside the gates here. I want to give you some perspective of where we are.

You know, it would have been extraordinary to be here 40 years ago to this day, because they had just received those U-2 spy plane photographs, which showed the attempted installation of Soviet missiles in Cuba. And so, this facility, already being built, was really rushed to readiness.

We look down the shaft and see beneath some of the first pictures you are seeing live of this -- not launch facility -- but launch control facility. There are missiles arrayed, 200 of them, all around Montana plains and hills, and this is one of the locations from which they are launched.

One of the key factors out here: security.

You're sitting on a nuclear arsenal, are you not, Sergeant Caudill? And you need to protect that, correct?

STAFF SGT. BRIAN CAUDILL, MALMSTROM AFB SECURITY: That's right. We are one of the most secure areas in the United States, actually in the world.

FLOCK: You know, we looked at what happened on September 11. You know that these hills that you see off over your shoulder have got nuclear missiles. This is the launch facility. You need to protect this. What was going through your mind on September 11 about how much vulnerability you had out here?

CAUDILL: Well, just like everyone, and not just here, but when something like that happens in the United States, it hits everyone. The mission here did not change one bit. We do the same job every day, day-in and day-out. Nothing has changed since September 11. We are still the same.

FLOCK: I can, obviously, testify how difficult it is to get into this facility, even if they know you're coming.

May I ask if you're armed?

CAUDILL: That's right. I'm armed with an M16 AT rifle. We all carry 180 rounds of 5.52 ball ammunition. Everyone that comes out to the missile field, all security forces carry this weapon right here.

FLOCK: And as you said, the mission didn't change on September 11, but your threat level changed at that time, did it not?

CAUDILL: That's right. The threat level changed. We did extra security, and different measures as far as securing the top side of this mat (ph) that we're at now.

FLOCK: Now, you talk about the top side. Let's look at -- beneath the ground. We're about what, 60, 65 feet down there? And that is literally the place where men and women have their fingers on the launch button, on the nuclear switch. You obviously take very seriously keeping that facility secure. How easy, if that's the appropriate word to use, is it to get down there?

CAUDILL: It's not easy at all. I'm sure you can attest to that. That is one of the most secure areas in the world. It is very hard to get down there.

FLOCK: The wing commander came out for an interview with us this morning. You didn't let him in right away. Why not?

CAUDILL: Well, everybody has to be identified before they come onto this facility. And no matter who you are, you will always be identified, and you have to be approved to come on this site.

FLOCK: But, I mean, you kept him waiting outside the gate here. You made him pass his ID through the gate. You went and verified that and came back. I mean, it wasn't like -- you kept him waiting, and you took your time.

CAUDILL: That's right. We have certain security measures that we need to go through -- no matter who the individual is at the gate that we need to go through before we can allow entry of that person.

FLOCK: Before we get away here and perhaps we can take one more look downstairs. Do you have a sense of the enormity of the job that you are performing out here, sitting literally on the nation's nuclear arsenal?

CAUDILL: To me, this is one of the biggest jobs in the entire world. We take it serious out here. This is a tough job, and it's not for everyone. But this is the toughest job in the United States, I guarantee it.

FLOCK: Sergeant Caudill, I appreciate the time, sir. Thank you very much, and thanks for letting me in as well.

An extraordinary place to be, Leon, 40 years ago -- to have been here 40 years ago and to have seen what this looked like with missiles for the first time on alert as the Cuban missile crisis played out must have been quite a place to be.

That's the latest from here, and we will be back, I should point out, Leon, next hour, back down beneath the ground right there live to give you that up-close and personal as well.

Back to you.

HARRIS: Hey, that's great. That's great. Thanks, Jeff. That kind of just gives me chills just thinking about that when you bring that historical point up. Interesting.

All right, thanks, Jeff. We'll check back with you next hour, OK?

FLOCK: Thank you, sir.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.