Air Force Official Predicts Efficiency Gains, Acknowledges Potential Land Needs for ICBM Program
An Air Force official overseeing the service’s nuclear weapons program believes that building hundreds of new silos for the Sentinel ICBM program will ultimately save time and money. However, he cautioned that securing the necessary land for these new facilities may require acquiring private property.
Speaking at a Mitchell Institute forum on Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Andrew Gebara, Air Force deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, explained that the shift towards constructing new silos for the LGM-35A Sentinel should reduce costs by accelerating the missile’s deployment. He reasoned that digging new silos allows for simultaneous work while the Sentinel’s predecessor, the Minuteman III, remains on alert during the phase-out process.
Land Acquisition on the Horizon?
Despite the projected savings, Gebara acknowledged that finding suitable locations for all the new silos could be challenging, as they may not all fit on existing federal lands. This raises the possibility of the government needing to purchase private property.
„In some small cases, we may need to make purchases,” Gebara said. „But I believe building all new silos is actually not an extender of time and cost. It’s actually saving time and cost.”
Minuteman III Fleet to Benefit from Transition
During a town hall meeting held by Minot Air Force Base, Director of ICBM Modernization Maj. Gen. Colin Connor stated that the transition to Sentinel will provide an opportunity to bolster the remaining Minuteman III fleet with spare parts salvaged from decommissioned missiles. Connor also mentioned that „the first site at F.E. Warren” – another Air Force base with nuclear missile fields – „has been taken down.”
It remains unclear whether this means the first Minuteman III silo has been decommissioned as part of the Sentinel transition.
Addressing Existing Silo Issues
Service officials at the town hall explained that new silos will also address existing issues at current sites, such as flooding and potential hazards from nearby wind turbines. Katie Parks, the Air Force’s deputy ICBM program executive officer, urged attendees to share their knowledge of unsuitable locations for the new silos, stating, „You all will know where the wrong places to put them are. We’ll need that help from you.”
Minot is the last base scheduled to transition to Sentinel, with work potentially continuing into the 2040s. Exact timelines and costs are currently unavailable due to the Air Force’s ongoing restructuring of the program.
B-21 Raider and B-52 Modernization Updates
During the Mitchell Institute discussion, Gebara expressed his belief that a second test article of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber will conduct its maiden flight before the end of the year. He emphasized that this milestone is „event-based.”
Regarding the B-52 modernization program, Gebara mentioned that the effort to field a new radar, which has experienced cost overruns and delays, is „very close” to delivering the first radar to Edwards Air Force Base for flight testing.
„I don’t have a specific date for you today, but I believe that is turning a corner,” he said.
