DLA Disposition Services set to help retire Minuteman III

The U.S. Air Force has begun building a prototype launch silo in Utah for the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, a key step toward replacing the Minuteman III force that has anchored the land-based leg of the nuclear triad since 1970. The test site is intended to validate the design and construction approach for a planned fleet of 450 modular silos, with Sentinel expected to reach initial operations in the early 2030s.

As new sites come online, the service will have to retire and demilitarize legacy Minuteman III infrastructure, a process overseen by the Defense Logistics Agency. DLA Disposition Services official Nate Tichenor has been advising the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center on how to dispose of specialized equipment and facilities when the transition begins.

Tichenor said the Minuteman III enterprise includes thousands of unique components that were never cataloged with National Stock Numbers during the program’s 1960s development, complicating accountability at aging sites. To close those gaps, he created Local Stock Numbers to help the Air Force establish positive control over equipment ahead of decommissioning.

DLA has outlined three potential pathways for retiring silos. One option would involve seeking a demilitarization waiver to leave the silos and unclassified equipment buried in place. Alternatively, the service could remove gear for centralized destruction under DLA oversight. “DLA will have a hand in it, no matter what path they choose,” Tichenor said. “We’re at the start line. Once they choose a course of action, we’re ready to execute and provide oversight for the duration.”

The transition is expected to unfold over more than a decade, and the Air Force is preparing to sustain Minuteman III operations potentially through 2050 to bridge the gap.

In late April, Tichenor joined DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to gather input from operators and maintainers working with the 90th Missile Wing. The visit included tours of underground launch, alert and control centers and discussions about parts shortages and transport challenges tied to the half-century-old systems.

Those talks also surfaced an additional task for DLA: each silo holds thousands of gallons of underground fuel for backup generators that must be purged and could be resold. DLA Disposition Services and DLA Energy are positioned to manage those requirements. “Until Sentinel is 100% online, we’ll be involved until the end,” Tichenor said.