The Air Force has decided that it will take a planned reduction of 50 of its 500 Minuteman missiles from Malmstrom AFB, Mont., reports the Great Falls Tribune. Since the Quadrennial Defense Review revealed Pentagon plans to downsize the Minuteman force, Malmstrom’s 564th Missile Squadron has been considered the likely candidate because it operates a unique missile system, requiring different training and support from Air Force Space Command’s other missile units. Last year, Congress declared that USAF must justify the reduction, and, according to the Tribune, the Air Force turned over its classified report last month, with a response period that ends April 15. The Air Force told the Great Falls newspaper that it would not begin removing the ICBMs before May 23.
House lawmakers unveiled a new reconciliation package July 15 with $60 billion for defense, $290 billion less than the Pentagon has been seeking, a day after a Senate vote to advance the annual defense policy bill failed—developments that show the perilous state of the Pentagon’s ambitious plans for fiscal 2027.