{"id":24392,"date":"2023-12-10T15:35:16","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T15:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2023\/12\/10\/a-new-icbm-will-take-us-nuclear-missiles-out-of-the-cold-war-era\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:21:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:21:53","slug":"a-new-icbm-will-take-us-nuclear-missiles-out-of-the-cold-war-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/space\/2023\/12\/10\/a-new-icbm-will-take-us-nuclear-missiles-out-of-the-cold-war-era\/","title":{"rendered":"New ICBM will take US nuclear missiles out of Cold War era"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. \u2014 The control stations for America\u2019s nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles have a sort of 1980s retro look, with computing panels in sea foam green, bad lighting and chunky control switches, including a critical one that says \u201claunch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those underground capsules are about to be demolished and the missile silos they control will be completely overhauled. A new nuclear missile is coming, a gigantic ICBM called the Sentinel<\/a>. It\u2019s the largest cultural shift<\/a> in the land leg of the Air Force\u2019s nuclear missile mission in 60 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there are questions as to whether some of the Cold War-era aspects of the Minuteman missiles that the Sentinel will replace should be changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"In
In this undated image provided by the Department of Defense, crews construct missile site connections in the 12th Missile Squadron flight area north of Great Falls, Mont. The 12th MS is one of four missile squadrons in the 341st Operations Group of the 341st Space Wing. (Department of Defense via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Making the silo-launched missile more modern, with complex software and 21st-century connectivity across a vast network, may also mean it\u2019s more vulnerable. The Sentinel will need to be well protected from cyberattacks, while its technology will have to cope with frigid winter temperatures in the Western states where the silos are located.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The $96 billion Sentinel overhaul involves 450 silos across five states, their control centers, three nuclear missile bases and several other testing facilities. The project is so ambitious it has raised questions as to whether the Air Force can get it all done at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An overhaul is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The silos lose power. Their 60-year old massive mechanical parts break down often<\/a>. Air Force crews guard them using helicopters that can be traced back to the Vietnam War. Commanders hope the modernization of the Sentinel, and of the trucks, gear and living quarters, will help attract and retain young technology-minded service members who are now asked each day to find ways to keep a very old system running.<\/p>\n\n\n\t