Inside the effort to replace America's Minuteman III nuclear missiles

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Cheyenne, Wyoming — Flying successful implicit the Wyoming prairie aboard the Air Force's caller Grey Wolf helicopter, the commanders of U.S. Strategic Command are taking america to a spot that was erstwhile truthful highly unafraid that trespassers could beryllium changeable connected show — a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, oregon ICBM, silo.

Hundreds of these progressive atomic silos dot the scenery from Colorado up to the Canadian border.

"There are ever astir 400 (ICBMs) acceptable to spell astatine immoderate moment," says Air Force Global Strike Command General S. L. Davis implicit the Grey Wolf's comms system.

CBS News traveled with Davis and Admiral Rich Correll, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, for an exclusive look astatine the modernization of America's ground-based atomic deterrent from the Minuteman III to the caller Sentinel. They are starring the effort and are successful Wyoming to inspect the advancement astatine F. E. Warren Air Force Base successful Cheyenne.

We onshore astatine Echo 10 adjacent the borderline with Colorado. It's the archetypal silo to spell offline arsenic the Air Force shifts to Sentinel. But adjacent for being a decommissioned silo, information is tight. An Air Force accelerated effect team, trained to retake atomic silos from a hostile force, is already connected the ground.

Greeting america astatine the entranceway is Colonel Terrance J. Holmes, the Wing Commander of the 90th Missile Wing astatine F. E. Warren, location to 150 Minuteman III ICBMs.

"It is simply a dense weight," helium says astir commanding truthful galore atomic warheads. "But I tin archer you that our defenders, our operators and the enactment unit that thrust the ngo of the 90th Missile Wing, basal acceptable each azygous day, 24/7."

The upgrade to Sentinel is astir a decennary down schedule. But arsenic Minuteman IIIs spell offline, Holmes insists his forces volition inactive beryllium capable to enactment if the president calls upon them.

"I americium focused connected maintaining time to time atomic surety and deterrence for the nation, and that ngo does not and volition not ever halt adjacent during the modulation to the Sentinel," helium says.

We ascent down a ladder done a circular shaft, past feet of concrete, and into a satellite designed to destruct worlds. The instrumentality reflects Minuteman III's age.

"The strategy was primitively designed for a decade," says Correll. "We've been operating it since 1961. So, it's good past its plan life."

Around the silo, 60-year-old exertion lines the walls, with a shaft respective stories precocious successful the mediate that erstwhile housed a 60-foot atomic missile.

"The Minuteman III that's connected alert contiguous is the Minuteman III that I took bid of arsenic a lieutenant implicit 35 years ago. The motorboat installation that supports the Minuteman III [was] built earlier I was born," says Davis.

Back astatine F. E. Warren, the commanders amusement wherever the missiles and warheads volition beryllium assembled. The caller buildings opposition with the base's reddish ceramic buildings constructed erstwhile calvary charges inactive dominated the battlefield.

"(Sentinel) is bigger, it's faster. It has longer scope and it tin transportation much payload," says Davis. "It's safer, it's much unafraid and it's much reliable."

The Sentinel programme is presently 80% implicit fund and is costing U.S. taxpayers astir $141 billion. The Air Force is constructing implicit 450 caller motorboat silos and betwixt 50 to 75 motorboat centers and different facilities to enactment the program.

The commanders importune erstwhile it's up and running, it'll beryllium cheaper to run than the Minuteman III due to the fact that it'll necessitate little maintenance. The caller Grey Wolf chopper volition besides supply amended security, scope and absorption clip to immoderate silo astir the country.

Critics whitethorn reason that this is each unnecessary spending for a weapons strategy that is ne'er used, but Correll disagrees.

"We usage it each azygous day. Deterrence is active," helium says. "The lack of enactment connected the portion of the adversary to bash america harm is employment of that strategy time aft day."

America's adversaries are besides upgrading their atomic weapons programs, including China, Russia and North Korea. The Pentagon is upgrading different parts of the country's atomic triad by replacing the B-2 Stealth bomber with the B-21, and Ohio Class nuclear-powered ballistic submarines with the Columbia Class.

"Our nation's atomic deterrent is safe, secure, reliable and credible," Correll says. "America volition beryllium safer."

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