F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- -- Peter Beshar, General Counsel of the U.S. Department of the Air Force, and Lieutenant General James Dawkins, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear integration, visited F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, August 29-31, 2022. This was Beshar's first time visiting a base part of the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile leg of the nuclear triad, making it a unique visit.
Beshar and Dawkins came to the 90th Missile Wing for an immersion focused on the wing's ICBM mission and operations. He flew with members of the 90MW and the 37th Helicopter squadron to the missile complex, where they visited a Missile Alert Facility and a Launch Facility.
They first visited the Alpha-01 MAF so Beshar could learn how the facility is structured and operates and see where the Airmen manning the site live and work. Beshar also got to go below ground to see the Launch Control Center and meet the missileers manning the capsule. Their second and final stop was at the Oscar-07 Launch Facility, and Beshar was able to learn about security and maintenance operations. He also was able to tour the Launch Equipment Room while at the LF. Beshar and Dawkins also toured the Weapons Storage Area and the under-construction Weapons Generation Facility.
"My visit to the 90th Missile Wing was extraordinary. I am in awe of the professionalism, dedication and commitment of our missileers," said Beshar. "I wanted to see first-hand the elements of our nuclear enterprise and discuss with the command leadership the ways in which SAF/GC offices can advance this critical mission, including through the Sentinel program."
A large part of their visit was learning about the new ICBM program, Sentinel. Beshar's visit to the 90MW allowed him to see the missile complex with the Minute Man III system before it is re-constructed for Sentinel in 2026.