A 7,000-item to-do list could have become another morale drain for the nuclear force, but a maintenance team at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., did not let it. The 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., tackled the overdue periodic maintenance actions in less than one year and became the only intercontinental ballistic missile team to claim a “zero overdue periodic inspections” status, according to a release. The feat has not been accomplished since 2008. The release noted the periodic maintenance actions are only created for needed action on non system-crippling parts of launch facilities, missile alert facilities, and launch control centers—along the lines of replacing a missing bolt or draining water from a pit below a missile. The airmen slowly fell behind on their upkeep list due to limited manpower. But checking off all 7,000 tasks instilled confidence in the team, said MSgt. Jesse Martinez, 341st MMXS facilities flight superintendent, according to the release. “They’re ready and geared up to where they’re going to be accomplishing a lot more,” Martinez said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
The U.S. and Sweden signed a bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement on Dec. 5 that will strengthen military ties between them and likely lead to U.S. troops and prepositioned gear on Swedish soil. Swedish Defense minister Pal Jonson said the war in Ukraine prompted Sweden's joining NATO and he laid out…