341st MXG completes 564th MS deactivation

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Terry Nelson
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  It took nearly two years and more than 29,000 man hours, but the 341st Maintenance Group has completed all maintenance actions to deactivate the 564th Missile Squadron, which included the pulling of all major equipment and components from the 50 launch facilities and five missile alert facilities that made up the 564th MS. 

Although the official inactivation ceremony of the 564th MS took place here Aug. 15th, 2008, Airmen of the 341 MXG worked since the fall of 2007 to ensure they safely removed all components outlined in the Time Compliance Technical Order from the 55 sites. 

It started in 2007 with the deactivation, decertification and standing down of the capsules; this is when maintenance technicians pulled the missiles and decertified the missile alert facilities. In Oct. 2007, Launch Facility T-50, or Tango-50, was the first LF to have all its major equipment removed in accordance with the TCTO. On Aug. 23, maintainers removed the last remaining components from LF T-46, completing the nearly two-year deactivation. 

"The majority of our deactivation work has been done this year," said Capt. Frank Adams, 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron generation flight commander. "We pulled everything the TCTO told us to with safety in mind every step of the way. I couldn't be prouder of my technicians for getting this job done and done right." 

Thousands of equipment items needed to be removed, including ten 14,000 pound security doors, 660 batteries weighing more than 1,400 pounds each, and many items containing hazardous chemicals. 

"Our folks really stayed positive and upbeat throughout the whole deactivation program", said Master Sgt. Les Moore, NCO in charge of the missile maintenance team section. 
"It's that great attitude that kept things on track. When you are breaking loose and removing hardware that had been in place since 1967, it takes willpower and drive. I am very proud of the people that made it happen. It is a testament to the success of teamwork. Go Team Malmstrom." 

With all 50 LFs and five MAFs now deactivated, members of the 341st MXG and 341st Civil Engineer Squadron must inspect each site and validate that all TCTO items are in fact removed. 

"Once we have validated that all the TCTO items have been removed we will transfer the property into caretaker status," Captain Adams said. "We currently have 31 missile sites in caretaker status and will have the remaining 24 completed by Sep. 25." 

Almost all the items the maintenance group removed were shipped to Hill AFB, Utah to resupply and sustain many other modifications and upgrade programs extending the Minuteman III weapon system life out past the year 2030. With the two-year project near completion, it frees up a lot of maintenance Airmen who had been assigned to the project, allowing them to return to work on their primary mission, putting missiles on alert. 

Tech. Sgt. Sgt Ben Vandermissen, deactivation lead for the electro-mechanical team section, remarked, "When you think about it, we were making history this summer with all the hard work we've been doing to finish the job."