The Air Force is adding additional manpower to security forces groups that protect the service's nuclear missiles, addressing complaints of a lack of manning and morale issues including overwork acing nuclear forces.

The 90th Security Forces Group at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, added 37 more airmen in December.

Air Force Global Strike Command last year began conducted a force improvement program, which included a survey of airmen in all ranks of the nuclear forces to find morale issues. Airmen in security forces had complained that they are undermanned, leading to overwork and declining morale. F.E. Warren is the first to see the addition of security forces changes.

"We currently do not have enough manning for every flight to post out 100 percent," Master Sgt. Robert Wilson, the 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron flight chief, said in a news release.

The additional manning comes as Global Strike Command has been outfitting its security forces groups with new uniforms, upgraded weapons and new vehicles.

The survey FIP helped Air Force leadership realize that a prolonged degradation of the manning levels would make things worse, said Master Sgt. Vincent Bolden, 90th MSFS weapons systems security noncommissioned officer in charge, said in the release.

"[People] alone can positively affect the ICBM mission, but these new airmen need to be trained, certified in their duty positions, and progress in upgrade training," Bolden said. "The additional [personnel] will afford relief in instances where airmen pulling 'standbys,' or additional days in the field, no longer have to do so."

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