Underneath the blast door stands one of the most powerful weapons in the US inventory, a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. But unlike the other two parts of the triad – strategic bombers and ballistic missile submarines – the ICBM launch facilities are fixed positions. Last year, the commander of US Strategic Command told Congress that China has more land-based ballistic missile launchers than the US. Russia has been carrying out military exercises involving its tactical nuclear weapons, as President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons since invading Ukraine. That complexity, Schlabach argued, drives the need for modernizing the ballistic missile fleet.

---

Persons: ”, James Schlabach, Evelyn McCoy, Joseph Cambio, Nunn, McCurdy, William LaPlante, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Antony Blinken, Schlabach, ” Schlabach Organizations: North Dakota CNN, Minuteman III, Minot Air Force Base, Minuteman, Air Force, 91st Missile, CNN, ”, Cuban Missile Crisis, The Air Force, Sentinel missile, Defense, Sentinel, Strategic Command, Congress, Soviet Union Locations: Minot, North Dakota, Dakota, it’s, Russia, China, Ukraine, Pyongyang