The Air Force has given “formal direction” to the 341st Space Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., to begin deactivating 50 of its 200 Minuteman III ICBMs and five alert facilities. The Air Force publicly identified Malmstrom earlier this year as the missile unit that would lose 50 ICBMs under a Quadrennial Defense Review mandate to downsize the ICBM force from 500 to 450 missiles. Malmstrom is the only unit with two types of systems, requiring different training and support.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.