Last Malmstrom Deactivated Missiles Removed

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — Crews have finished eliminating the last of the deactivated intercontinental ballistic missile silos operated by Malmstrom Air Force Base.

The silos were had been under the 564th Missile Squadron, which was deactivated in 2008. The silos are located in Choteau, Pondera, Teton and Toole counties.

Under a nuclear arms-reduction treaty with Russia, the U.S. was required to eliminate 103 deactivated ICBM silos, including the 50 at Malmstrom, by February 2018.

The demolition of Malmstrom's 50 deactivated silos fulfills almost half of the treaty's requirements. Additionally, 50 launch facilities have already been eliminated at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.

The last Malmstrom silo to be eliminated was located about 25 miles west of Conrad.