Malmstrom Air Base Missiles Targeted

[Ryan Ruck]

Looks like we are trying to further neuter our nuclear forces…

Malmstrom Air Base Missiles Targeted

Fifty Minuteman III missiles at Malmstrom Air Force Base here would be the first to go if Congress moves ahead with plans to trim the nation's fleet of land-based nuclear missiles, a top Air Force commander confirms.

The 50 missiles in Malmstrom's 564th Squadron were chosen for elimination "because they're the ones with the unique configuration," said Gen. Kevin Chilton, commander of the U.S. Space Command. Malmstrom has another 150 missiles that would not be affected.

The nation's fleet of 500 land-based nuclear missiles, based at Air Force bases in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota, was scheduled for downsizing early last year. The Pentagon in February recommended reducing the stockpile of Minuteman III missiles by 50, or 10 percent. A report last year said those missiles will come from Malmstrom, a decision Chilton confirmed during a news conference Wednesday in Great Falls.

Congress, however, blocked the military from taking that action. A congressional amendment requires the Pentagon to justify the reduction. That step involves a separate study that would consider the strategic impact of fewer missiles and outline further missile modernization plans.

Chilton said he is recommending the 50 missiles be kept and used for regular testing of the missile system.

Doing so could extend the life of the other 450 missiles in underground silos by at least another dozen years, until 2030 or later, Chilton said.

Extending the life of the missiles that serve as "the nation's real defense backstop" by deterring unfriendly nations from using nuclear weapons would be a "a great payback for taxpayers," he said.

Because they're different from the other 450 missiles at Malmstrom and two other missile bases, with a different command system for communicating, the missiles with the 564th require different training, parts, operators and maintenance people, all of which boost costs. Running the two systems costs the Air Force as much as $10 million more a year, officials have said.

The Air Force has spent a lot of time and money modernizing the Minuteman III missiles in recent years, with upgrades to propulsion and guidance systems and re-entry vehicles, Chilton said.

You know, wouldn't it be so much better if that extra $10 million a year were spent on midnight basketball programs for urban "utes" instead of these nasty missiles? < /heavy sarcasm>

[Ryan Ruck]

Leaders Working Together To Save Missiles

If it turns out they can't fight for the 50 Malmstrom Air Force Base missiles the Air Force plans to remove, local government and business leaders vowed Thursday to do the next best thing.

They agreed to work together to secure federal funds to spur private development, which would mitigate some of the far-reaching economic loss.

The officials met to begin coordinating the local response to news that the Air Force intends to shut down the 564th Missile Squadron — 50 silo-based missiles between Shelby and Dutton — as a budget-cutting measure.
Kevin Chilton, the four-star general who heads the Air Force Space Command, confirmed in a Wednesday press conference that the military intends to close that squadron once Congress signs off on an upcoming Air Force report justifying the reduction in the nation's Minuteman III missile force from 500 missiles to 450.

Malmstrom would still retain three squadrons, or 150 missiles. But trimming the 564th Squadron could eliminate about 500 of the Great Falls base's 4,100 military and civilian jobs, Malmstrom officials have projected.

"We've expected for about a year that those 50 missiles were targeted if the military decided to eliminate missiles because they're a different breed than the others, with a command system that requires different training, parts and personnel," said Cascade County Commissioner Lance Olson. "Now it appears the Air Force is looking hard to make just that cut. If it happens, we want to make sure the impact is as soft as possible on Great Falls and the outlying region."

Another official noted the missiles haven't left just yet.

"It's not necessarily a done deal because Congress has required the Pentagon to do a really comprehensive report justifying the cutback and explaining future modernization for the remaining missiles," added Brett Doney, president of the Great Falls Development Authority. "We and members of the Montana congressional delegation will closely scrutinize the report."

But both Olson and Doney said the Great Falls area, which always has supported the military, will not fight the closure decision if military higher-ups determine it is necessary and wouldn't hurt the country strategically.

"We knew for a while this was probably in the cards because the prospects of the squadron closing has hung over us," said Great Falls Mayor Dona Stebbins. "The announcement gives us the impetus to band together and prepare a strategy to mitigate its impact."

While the job loss might be most heavily felt in Great Falls, missile operations, maintenance and security folks often stop for meals in the four counties northeast of Great Falls where the missiles are located: Toole, Chouteau, Pondera and Teton. And those counties received $5 million over eight years from the Defense Department to maintain and plow roads leading to missile silos and launch control centers, officials said last year.

Representatives of the Sweet Grass Development Corp. joined Great Falls officials in discussing what to do if the missiles are removed.

Doney asked the group to spend part of the grant money left over from local lobbying efforts before the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, process to hire experts to analyze the full impact of closing the missile squadron.

The group also will ask Montana's governor and congressional members to continue to seek new military missions and federal economic impact grants to pay for efforts to recruit private development that could offset the loss of the missile wing, Doney said.

Friday, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester released a statement supporting the base.

“I was disappointed to learn that the Air Force is targeting the elimination of 50 Minuteman III missiles from Malmstrom Air Force Base. Malmstrom is critical to our national security and the economy of northcentral Montana. I will continue to fight for Malmstrom and the Air Force in the United States Senate and I will work toward getting another mission at the base," the statement read.

The federal impact money can't be committed until the Pentagon makes its final decision to close the 564th squadron, Doney said. But he is meeting next week with officials from the Defense Department's Office of Economic Adjustment to lay the groundwork for such compensation.

The tone of Thursday's meeting was very upbeat, Stebbins said.

"We've got good economic momentum going in the region, so it's important to keep those positive efforts going forward and to continue to diversity our economy," she said.

"We're not panicking," added Olson. "We've got other positive things happening here. But if the squadron is pulled, we'll be ready to seek the impact grants to help mitigate the job loss."