A Missile Past Its Prime: Why the Minuteman III’s Endless Life Extension Forces a Rethink of America’s Nuclear Triad
When the first Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) went on alert in 1970, the Beatles had just broken up, and Richard Nixon was still in his first term as president.
More than half a century later, the same missile system remains on duty, guarding the United States from nuclear attack. But what was once a technological marvel of the Cold War is now showing its age.
The Minuteman III—LGM-30G, in Pentagon jargon—was never meant to last this long. And yet, because of spiraling costs and chronic delays in its intended replacement, the LGM-35A Sentinel, the Air Force is now studying whether the venerable missile can stay operational until 2050.
That possibility raises uncomfortable questions.
Author's summary: The Minuteman III missile is outdated and requires replacement.