GREAT FALLS — The U.S. Air Force will host town hall meetings in Lewistown and Great Falls next week to provide people with information about the Sentinel Program. The Air Force is modernizing the existing Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile systems with the new Sentinel Program.
This will include modernization of launch facilities, control centers, and other ground infrastructure across the 13,800 square mile missile complex of Malmstrom Air Force base.
The project includes the renovation of existing missile launch facilities, the construction of two dozen new missile alert facilities, and 62 new communication towers within the missile fields overseen by Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, and F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.
The 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom is responsible for 150 launch facilities – the unmanned silos where missiles are located; and 15 missile alert facilities – where military personnel monitor and operate the system. They’re spread across a 13,800-square-mile missile field that covers parts of eight counties: Cascade, Chouteau, Fergus, Judith Basin, Lewis & Clark, Meagher, Teton, and Wheatland.
To support the project, leaders are planning two “workforce hubs,” one in Great Falls and one in Lewistown. Each will be around 50 to 60 acres and include housing, dining, medical and recreational facilities for work crews. Between the two locations, they will host more than 2,000 temporary workers – with up to 3,000 at the peak of construction.
The town hall meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, January 24th at the Fergus County Fairgrounds in Lewistown; and Thursday, January 25th at Great Falls High School auditorium in Great Falls.
The meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and are free and open to everyone.
During these meetings, the Air Force will provide an overview of the Sentinel Program and its projected impact on the area, then offer a 30-minute question-and-answer session to answer questions that people have about program.
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