Construction on Sentinel project set to begin

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The Air Force signed off on the environmental record of decision this month for Sentinel, the ground based strategic deterrent that will replace the Minuteman III missile system currently in use.

That means the construction phase of the multi-billion-dollar missile system can begin, according to the Air Force.

“This decision is the linchpin that gives us the authority to proceed with numerous construction activities supporting the Sentinel program,” Ken Rogers, chief of Sentinel Infrastructure Division, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, said in a release. “This is a very important milestone the Sentinel National Environmental Policy Act team was able to deliver on time, which allows the Sentinel program to move to the next step.”

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The signed decision means officials can move forward with permitting and construction for the project at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming later this year.

Project activities at Malmstrom are expected to begin in 2026 and at Minot in North Dakota in 2029.

The Air Force determined that replacing the current ICBM system would be cheaper than extending the life of the Minuteman III system and the new system is expected to last through 2075, according to the Air Force.

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Malmstrom maintains 150 ICBM silos across its 13,800-square-mile complex in central Montana. The Air Force also operates silos at the F.E. Warren and Minot. According to the Department of Defense, there are 450 silos in the U.S. with 400 missiles deployed at any time.

In September 2020, the Air Force awarded a $13.3 billion engineering and manufacturing development contract to Northrop Grumman for GBSD. Northrop Grumman opened a facility in Great Falls related to the GBSD project in the former Fleet Supply building at 1401 25th Ave. N.E.

Sentinel ICBM system completes flight tests

Shown is an illustration of the LGM-35A Sentinel launch center. The Sentinel is the Air Force’s newest weapon system known as the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent. The Air Force determined the LGM-35A Sentinel would provide continuity in strategic deterrence and cost less than extending the life of the current intercontinental ballistic missile fleet, comprised of the aging Minuteman III. Replacing the 1970s-era missile modernizes the ground-based leg of the nuclear triad and brings the Minuteman’s more than 50 years of service to a close. (U.S. Air Force illustration)

The project includes modernizing and replacing all launch facilities, communication systems, infrastructure, and technologies as necessary to support the GBSD system, according to the Air Force.

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The record of decision details the findings of the Air Force’s analysis of environmental, natural resource and cultural considerations in the construction of the Sentinel project. The document identifies the selected course of action and how the Air Force intends to avoid, minimize or mitigate environmental impacts as much as possible for the life of the project, according to the Air Force.

GBSD project hits another milestone

Shown is an illustration of the LGM-35A Sentinel launch silo, the Air Force’s newest weapon system known as the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent. The Air Force determined the LGM-35A Sentinel would provide continuity in strategic deterrence and cost less than extending the life of the current intercontinental ballistic missile fleet, comprised of the aging Minuteman III. Replacing the 1970s-era missile modernizes the ground-based leg of the nuclear triad and brings the Minuteman’s more than 50 years of service to a close. (U.S. Air Force illustration)Air Force teams began gathering data in support of three key pieces of the Sentinel environmental analysis in 2019. The cultural resource programmatic agreement, natural resource biological opinion, and environmental impact statement all had to be completed prior to the decision, according to the Air Force.

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The process involved nine public hearings and dozens of consultations with tribes, federal agencies and others.

The EIS project managers, Russell Bartholomew, AFNWC, and Stephanie Newcomer, AFCEC, guided “what many consider the largest-scoped environmental impact analysis in the history of NEPA,” according to the Air Force.

Air Force illustrations of the LGM-35A Sentinel launch center and silo.