CHEYENNE, WYOMING — Air Force Global Strike Command General S. L. Davis and U.S. Strategic Command Commander Admiral Rich Correll inspected modernization progress at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, including the decommissioning of the Echo 10 silo near the Colorado border. Echo 10 was the first silo to go offline as the Air Force shifts from the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile to the Sentinel program.

Hundreds of active Minuteman III ICBM silos extend from Colorado to the Canadian border. The 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren is home to 150 of those missiles. "There are always approximately 400 (ICBMs) ready to go at any moment," Davis said.

Colonel Terrance J. Holmes, Wing Commander of the 90th Missile Wing, said his personnel remain on duty throughout the transition. "I can tell you that our defenders, our operators and the support personnel that drive the mission of the 90th Missile Wing stand ready every single day, 24/7," Holmes said. He added, "I am focused on maintaining day to day nuclear surety and deterrence for the nation, and that mission does not and will not ever stop even during the transition to the Sentinel."

The Minuteman III system has been in operation since 1961. "The system was originally designed for a decade," Correll said. "We've been operating it since 1961. So, it's well past its design life."

Davis described the age of the existing force. "The Minuteman III that's on alert today is the Minuteman III that I took command of as a lieutenant over 35 years ago. The launch facility that supports the Minuteman III [was] built before I was born," he said.

The Sentinel program is approximately a decade behind schedule and 80% over budget, with an estimated cost of $141 billion. The Air Force is constructing more than 450 new launch silos and between 50 and 75 launch centers and other facilities to support the program. Air Force Global Strike Command and U.S. Strategic Command leaders say that once operational, Sentinel will be cheaper to operate than Minuteman III because it will require less maintenance.

An Air Force rapid response team trained to retake nuclear silos from a hostile force was deployed at the decommissioned Echo 10 silo during the visit. The new Grey Wolf helicopter will provide improved security, reach, and reaction time to missile silos nationwide. The Air Force is also replacing B-2 Stealth bombers with the B-21, and the Navy is replacing Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic submarines with Columbia-class submarines as part of nuclear triad modernization. China, Russia, and North Korea are upgrading their nuclear weapons programs.

"We use it every single day. Deterrence is active. The absence of action on the part of the adversary to do us harm is employment of that system day after day," Correll said.