The 91st Missile Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., received the highest rating—satisfactory—during a nuclear surety inspection held earlier this month at the base, reports the Minot Daily News. A visiting Air Force Global Strike Command inspector general team conducted the inspection Sept. 12-18, evaluating the wing’s ability to execute its nuclear mission to USAF’s demanding standards of compliance and accountability. The wing operates 150 Minuteman III ICBMs. Just last month, Minot’s 5th Bomb Wing, a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber unit, excelled during its own NSI.
The defense intelligence community has tried three times in the past decade to build a “common intelligence picture”—a single data stream providing the information that commanders need to make decisions about the battlefield. The first two attempts failed. But officials say things are different today.