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Air Force celebrates 50th anniversary of Minuteman III ICBM today

First 10 Minuteman IIIs went on alert in Minot missile field

Submitted Photo From left, 1st Lt. Riley Vann, 741st Missile Squadron missile combat crew commander, and 2nd Lt. Whitney Sturgill, 741st Missile Squadron deputy missile combat crew commander, perform an exercise on March 7, 2019, shown in this Air Force photo. Missile combat crew members stay in the capsule for 24-hour shifts ensuring the capsule is always manned. Today is the 50th anniversary of the first flight of Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles with Minot Air Force Base’s 741st Missile Squadron to go on alert in the Minot missile complex.

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. – The Air Force marks a significant milestone this year for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, according to Air Force Global Strike Command information.

Fifty years ago, on Aug. 19, 1970, Strategic Air Command placed the first flight of 10 Minuteman III ICBMs with the 741st Missile Squadron to go on alert in the Minot missile field. Since that time, the Minuteman III has stood continuous watch as part of the nation’s global strike force.

The Minuteman III was the first ICBM designed to carry the Multiple Independently targetable Re-entry Vehicle capability, or MIRV. This configuration allowed individual targeting upon release for each of the weapon’s three warheads.

The nation’s ICBM program dates back to 1959. The Minuteman III has stood guard more than one-third of that time when matched against the Air Force’s previous on-alert ICBM systems–Atlas, Titan I, Titan II, Minuteman I, Minuteman II, and Peacekeeper.

Despite a projected service life of 10 years, Minuteman III has served uninterrupted for 50 years, having undergone a series of life-extension programs to maintain viability. It still stands on alert while development of its successor, the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, continues.

“Until GBSD comes online fully, we must continue to take the actions necessary to ensure Minuteman III remains a viable deterrent for the nation,” said Gen. Tim Ray, Air Force Global Strike Command commander. “24/7/365 our missiles remain on alert, lethal and ready, providing the deterrence necessary to allow the rest of the Nation to sleep peacefully at night. We all owe a large debt of gratitude to the missileers, maintainers, security forces and countless others, who held the watch over the past generation. However, the Minuteman III is 50-years-old. It’s time to modernize and bring on the GBSD.”

“My hat’s off to the airmen across 20th Air Force who continue to operate, maintain, secure, and support Minuteman III after 50 years of service to the nation,” said Maj. Gen. Mike Lutton, 20th Air Force commander. “This is a proud moment worth reflecting upon–especially for the world’s most respected and feared global strike team.” Lutton is a former commander of the 91st Missile Wing at Minot AFB.

Located across five states, Minot Air Force Base, Malmstrom AFB, Montana, and F. E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado, Minuteman III remains the most responsive leg of the nuclear triad.

Air Force Global Strike Command is comprised of more than 33,700 airmen and civilians assigned to two numbered air forces, 11 wings, two geographically-separated squadrons and one detachment in the continental United States, and deployed to locations around the globe. The command oversees two-thirds of the nation’s nuclear weapons including all bomber and ICBM operations for the U.S. Department of Defense.

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