Malmstrom Air Force Base

Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation located in Cascade County, Montana, adjacent to Great Falls. Established in 1942 as Great Falls Army Air Base, it was initially known as East Base and played a role in World War II, serving as a heavy bomber training base and later as a crucial hub for the Lend-Lease Program, transferring aircraft and supplies to the Soviet Union via the Alaskan-Siberian Route. Aircraft such as P-39 Airacobras, C-47 Skytrains, B-25 Mitchells, and A-20 Havocs were assembled and processed here. After the war, it supported Alaskan military installations and was a key training site for C-54 Skymasters during the Berlin Airlift. The base was renamed Malmstrom Air Force Base on October 1, 1955, in honor of Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom, a World War II POW who later died in a T-33 crash near the base.

During the Cold War, Malmstrom AFB transitioned to a strategic role, becoming a command and control center for intercontinental ballistic missiles. In 1961, the 341st Strategic Missile Wing was assigned, and the base became home to Minuteman I ICBMs, expanding to include Minuteman II missiles by 1967, making its missile field the largest in the United States. The base's missiles were placed on strategic alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. In the late 1980s, the 301st Air Refueling Wing, operating KC-135R Stratotankers, was stationed here until its inactivation in 1992. The base's fixed-wing runway was decommissioned in 1996, with operations ceasing in 1997. Currently, Malmstrom Air Force Base is under the Air Force Global Strike Command and is one of three US Air Force bases that maintain and operate the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. The primary unit is the 341st Missile Wing, supported by the 40th Helicopter Squadron with UH-1N Iroquois helicopters, which continue to operate from the base's helipads. Other units include the 582nd Helicopter Group, 800th RED HORSE Group, and 120th Airlift Wing.