Effective July 1, the nation’s three Minuteman III ICBM wings will revert from their current designation as space wings back to their pre-1997 designation as missile wings. Maj. Laurie Arellano, an Air Force Space Command spokeswoman, confirmed the date to the Daily Report yesterday. Gen. Michael Moseley, outgoing Chief of Staff, announced on June 6 the change—one of many actions that the Air Force’s leadership has taken in the past year to reemphasize the importance of the nuclear mission.
The Air Force has spent more than two years studying cancer risks to Airmen who work with the service's intercontinental ballistic missiles. Now lawmakers in Congress are placing fresh scrutiny on the issue and have prepared legislation that would direct the service to clean silos and launch facilities.