M
issileers at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., have begun the deactivation process that will remove 50 Minuteman ICBMs from the arsenal of the 341st Space Wing. The wing received formal word last month to begin the process. Once the deactivation job is complete, with removal of the missiles and shut down five alert facilities in north central Montana, the wing will deactivate the 564th Missile Squadron. The wing will retain another 150 Minuteman missile systems—all the same type. Eliminating 50 ICBMs was part of the last Quadrennial Defense Review, which directed the Air Force to cut the force from 500 to 450 missiles.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
