NEWS

ICBMs off the books under treaty

Jenn Rowell
jrowell@greatfallstribune.com

The Air Force has eliminated 104 deactivated intercontinental ballistic missiles under budget and ahead of schedule.

The eliminated silos include 50 at Malmstrom Air Force Base that were previously operated by the 564th Missile Squadron, which was deactivated in 2008.

Under New START, a nuclear arms-reduction treaty with Russia, those empty silos counted as nondeployed missile launchers. New START, which was ratified in 2011, limits the U.S. and Russia to 800 nondeployed launchers.

The deactivated silos have to be eliminated by February 2018.

At Malmstrom, the final 10 were eliminated in August and entered a 60-day observation period to allow Russia to verify their elimination.

Malmstrom's eliminated silos were removed from the launcher count under the treaty last fall. The last of the eliminated silos came off the books this spring, according to Air Force Global Strike Command.

Silos were eliminated by filling them with earth and gravel. Gravel fill is a more effective and environmentally friendly method of elimination that's also faster and more economical than those used under the original START treaty. The work doesn't pose any threat to public safety or the environment, Malmstrom officials said.

The second phase includes concrete caps poured over the launchers that had completed the first phase. The sites will remain in caretaker status by the 341st Civil Engineer Squadron until the final disposition of the properties is determined.

AFGSC planned for all elimination and remediation work to be completed by April 2016, and current progress indicates the work will be completed sooner, according to AFGSC.

The construction company was able to complete work 13 months ahead of schedule, including remediation of the Vandenberg AFB, Calif., site in March 2015.

The next phase of work, in accordance with the treaty, will include environmental baseline surveys at the Wyoming sites, ensuring the locations meet state and local environmental regulations. Specific missile alert facilities in Wyoming will also undergo remediation with an expected completion date of summer 2015, according to AFGSC.

The final cost to complete the deactivated ICBM site eliminations was $16 million for 104 launch facility sites and nine missile alert facilities. That figure was $23 million under the estimated budget, according to AFGSC.

The original project estimate was $39 million, but changes in the New START treaty allowed the Air Force to fill the sites with gravel, a less expensive and more environmentally-friendly method of elimination than implosion.

New START also limits deployed launchers to 700 across ICBM fields, submarines and bomber aircraft.

The Pentagon announced in April 2014 that it would retain all 450 ICBM silos operated by the Air Force, including the 150 at Malmstrom.

The Air Force will remove missiles from 50 silos but keep them in a warm status, meaning they can be rearmed at any time.

According to defense officials, the expectation is that the empty silos will be distributed among the three missile wings and will rotate depending on maintenance and operational needs.

AFGSC officials said missiles will be removed from the selected silos and placed in storage. The silos will remain fully operational and connected to the missile launch control network.

For the last two years, renovations have been underway to storage facilities that are scheduled to receive the missiles and its components. According to AFGSC, those renovations are complete and ready to receive the parts. Shipping arrangements for the missile components that are being pulled from silos are scheduled to begin in May, according to AFGSC.