Hill Air Force Base, Utah –
The U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center is reorganizing its executive directorates to better support the nuclear industry.
The Sentinel Systems Directorate and the Minuteman III Systems Directorate merged to form the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Systems Directorate on August 27.
It will be responsible for providing the Air Force’s Global Strike Command with the most responsive nuclear deterrent capability and supply through two major programs, the LGM-30G Minuteman III and the LGM-35A Sentinel.
Brigadier General William Rogers, who is also the Air Force’s program director for intercontinental ballistic missiles, took over the leadership of the new directorate during a ceremony at Hill AFB in Utah.
“I look forward to helping AFNWC begin this new chapter,” said Rogers. “Bringing our ICBM programs under one directorate will help streamline processes and improve coordination with our nuclear partners. We are committed to ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of ICBMs.”
Rogers joined AFNWC in April when the Air Force created the new PEO position for intercontinental ballistic missiles. As PEO, he is responsible for lifecycle management of the Minuteman III and Sentinel acquisition programs from induction through retirement.
Major General John Newberry, commander of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, presided over the ceremony.
He said this reorganization is part of AFNWC’s ongoing efforts to streamline its processes to better meet Air Force needs.
“To better sustain and modernize our current capabilities to meet future requirements, we must integrate and collaborate at all levels,” Newberry said. “Bringing two related programs together under one directorate may seem like a small step, but this change is part of a larger paradigm shift. At the AFNWC and across the Air Force, we are working to promote horizontal integration across all weapon systems, major commands and services.”
Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, also attended the inauguration ceremony for the new directorate. He spoke about the importance of the ICBM PEO position and the AFNWC’s mission to provide nuclear capabilities that Soldiers use every day to deter and ensure.
“Nuclear deterrence remains a top priority for the United States and its allies,” Hunter said. “This new PEO position reporting to me and the realignment of the directorate will support the successful restructuring of the Sentinel program and help the Air Force deliver its weapons systems on schedule so we can maintain nuclear deterrence.”
General Duke Z. Richardson, commander of the Air Force Materiel Command, and U.S. Rep. Blake Moore of Utah also attended the ceremony.
The ICBM Systems Directorate is headquartered at Hill AFB, with additional locations at FE Warren AFB, Wyoming; Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts; Malmstrom AFB, Montana; Minot AFB, North Dakota; Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; and Washington, DC. The new directorate has a total of approximately 1,000 military and civilian members.
The company will provide more than $6 billion annually to the land-based portion of the nuclear triad, including modernizing and maintaining intercontinental ballistic missiles and associated weapons command and control systems, flight and launch systems, missile silos, and other ground infrastructure.
The rest of the center’s organizational structure remains unchanged. The AFNWC, based at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, is responsible for synchronizing all aspects of nuclear material management on behalf of the Air Force Materiel Command, thereby directly supporting the Air Force Global Strike Command. More than 2,000 military and civilian members are currently deployed at 20 locations worldwide.
