Editing Malmstrom Air Force Base (section)

====341st Strategic Missile Wing====
With the development of the three-stage, solid-fuel [[Minuteman I]] missile in the late 1950s SAC began searching for sites to deploy this revolutionary weapon. Because Malmstrom's location placed most strategic targets in the [[Soviet Union]] within range of Minuteman, the base was selected to become a command and control center for ICBMs located in central Montana.

On 23 December 1959, the Air Force Ballistic Missile Committee approved the selection of Malmstrom AFB to host the first Minuteman [[ICBM]] base. A change of mission for the base occurred on 15 July 1961 when the [[341st Strategic Missile Wing]] was reassigned to Malmstrom.<ref name="mul2"/> The 341st was previously assigned to [[Dyess Air Force Base|Dyess AFB]], [[Texas]], where it was designated as the 341st Bombardment Wing. With the reassignment of the 341st SMW to Malmstrom, the tankers of the 407th ARW were reassigned or retired and the runway at the base was used by the Air Defense Command F-101 and F-106 interceptors along with transient aircraft.

Construction of the wing's first launch facility began in March 1961 and was completed in December. The 10th Strategic Missile Squadron (SMS) was activated on 1 November 1961 and Alpha-01, the first launch control facility, was completed in July 1962. The first Minuteman I ICBM arrived on base by rail 23 July 1962. Just four days after the missile's arrival, Launch Facility Alpha-09 gained the title of the first Minuteman missile site. The [[12th Missile Squadron|12th SMS]] and [[490th Missile Squadron|490th SMS]] activated in March and May 1962.<ref name="mul2"/>

On 3 July 1963, following 28 months of construction, the wing and its three squadrons became operational. Each squadron controlled 50 missiles, bringing the total wing strength to 150 Minuteman I missiles. Two years later, construction began on the fourth and final squadron, the 564th SMS. This squadron was equipped with the more modern Minuteman II missiles. On 5 May 1967, the 564th SMS was declared fully operational. Malmstrom's missile field was now the largest in the United States, covering {{convert|23500|sqmi|km2}}. Two years later, the 10th, 12th and 490th SMSs were also upgraded to the Minuteman II missiles, increasing the wing's capabilities to four missile squadrons equipped with a total of 200 Minuteman II missiles.<ref name="mul2"/>

In late 1962 missiles assigned to the 341st Wing would play a major role in the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]]. On 26 October, at 11:16&nbsp;am, the 10th SMS's launch facility Alpha-06 went on "strategic alert" after it was discovered the [[Soviet Union]] had placed nuclear missiles in [[Cuba]] to counter the threat to Moscow and most of the Soviet Union east of the Urals posed by American nuclear-armed [[PGM-19 Jupiter|Jupiter]] and [[PGM-17 Thor|Thor]] missiles based in [[Turkey]].
Over the next four days the wing placed four more missiles on alert, with the last missile from Alpha Flight achieving alert status on 10 November. The Soviets eventually removed their missiles from Cuba.<ref name="mul2"/>

In fact, the Minuteman missiles at Malmstrom were able to substitute for Jupiter and Thor missiles based in Turkey, which were removed under a secret accord, thus allowing the Soviets to remove their missiles from Cuba, and replace them with submarine-based missiles and longer-range ICBMs based on Soviet territory. The overall effect of the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] was to greatly expand and extend the [[nuclear arms race]], in which Malmstrom played (and continues to play) a leading role.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

Throughout the Cold War era, the wing's missiles remained on alert and underwent extensive weapons systems upgrades. The 17th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron, equipped with [[B-57 Canberra|EB-57 Canberras]], was activated in the 1970s to train NORAD air defense personnel in electronic countermeasures. In 1988 the hardened mobile launcher for the small ICBM was tested at Malmstrom AFB to verify its ability to operate in harsh winter conditions.<ref name="mul2"/>