Aging Minuteman III missiles may be kept in service another two decades

LEWISTOWN — The Air Force may need to operate the Minuteman III missiles decades longer than expected because of Sentinel Missile program delays, according to a report released earlier this month by the Government Accountability Office.

The GAO is an independent, non-partisan agency that examines how taxpayer dollars are spent. It is sometimes called the “supreme audit institution” for the U.S. Included in the defense authorization act for 2024 was a provision for GAO review of the plans to transition from the half-a-century-old Minuteman III missiles to the new Sentinel missiles.

That review resulted in new recommendations, including that the Secretary of the Air Force should develop a risk management plan for the transition.

“The transition is the most complex project the service has