U.S. Department of the Interior

Air Force Transfers Minuteman II Missile Site to National
Park Service; First Unit of Park System Dedicated to Cold War

(Wall, S.D.) -- Eleven years to the day after then-President George Herbert Walker Bush took the nation's Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile sites off alert, the U.S. Air Force today formally transferred one of the sites to the Interior Department to become the first unit of the National Park System dedicated to the Cold War.

The Park Service plans to build a visitor center and provide the American public an opportunity to tour the "Delta 9" missile site and its "Delta 1" launch control facility, starting in 2005.

"The transfer of a Minuteman II site to the National Park System is an extraordinary event that no one could have imagined in 1990," said Assistant Secretary of Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Craig Manson, who accepted the transfer from the Air Force. "Once these sites are open to the public in 2005, people will be able to come and learn firsthand about the Cold War and the men and women who played such an important role in bringing it to an end."

"We are pleased to be a partner with the National Park Service in preserving an important part of America's defense during the Cold War," said Ronald L. Orr, the Air Force's principal deputy assistant secretary, who attended the ceremony.

The missile site transferred to the Park Service is one of about 1,000 Minuteman sites that dotted the north central United States during the Cold War years. Their mission was to provide strategic deterrence, helping to ensure the Soviet Union or another nation would not launch a nuclear attack on the United States.

Under the terms of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), the site is still subject to inspection by the Russian government. The treaty called for facilities to be selected in each country for preservation as a reminder of the events of the Cold War.

"It says a great deal about America's goals and values that while other nations around the world are secretly trying to manufacture weapons of mass destruction and hide them, we are taking one of the most powerful weapon systems in history and turning it into a museum," said Manson, who as a young Air Force lieutenant in the late 1970s served as a launch control officer for Delta 9.

Congress passed legislation in 1999 to transfer the site to the Park Service with the intention of providing interpretation of Cold War history and the role of the Minuteman II missile defense system as a component of America's strategic commitment to preserve world peace.

The Air Force has maintained Delta 9 and Delta 1 in good condition. The official transfer had to wait until the Air Force had complied with START, which included constructing a viewing cover for the missile silo.

The Minuteman II missiles, part of a worldwide defense program of intercontinental ballistic missiles, could deliver their payload to a target in less than an hour.

"I'm gratified to see that as we close such a significant chapter in our nation's history, the dedication and perseverance of the thousands of Air Force men and women who kept the Minuteman alert and ready will be remembered in such a fine way," said Lt. Gen. Robert Hinson, vice commander of the Air Force Space Command. "I'm pleased to know that their story will be carried into the future -- a future that they helped secure."

The National Park Service is currently in the general management planning process for the site. When opened to the public in 2005, the site will have a visitor center, exhibits, and park staff. Anyone interested in commenting on the plans for the site can be added to the mailing list by sending their name and address to [email protected]

Until the park is able to receive visitors, a website has been established at http://www.nps.gov/mimi

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