Impact of U.S.-Russia nuclear treaty on state’s F.E. Warren Air Force Base unknown

By Andrew Schenkel, Cowboy State Free Press Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the United States and Russia near a nuclear arms treaty, the details of how the treaty could affect Wyoming remains unclear.

Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced both nations had reached agreements on the reduction of nuclear stockpiles in the United State and Russia.

“With this agreement, the United States and Russia, the two largest nuclear powers in the world also send a clear signal that we intend to lead. By upholding our own commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, we strengthen our global efforts to stop the spread of these weapons and to ensure that other nations meet their own responsibilities,” Obama said when announcing the agreement.

The final details of the deal are not written in stone. However, several sources confirm the United States and Russia have essentially agreed to a 30 percent reduction in the number of strategic nuclear warheads that each country is permitted to deploy.

The concern for Wyoming lies adjacent to Cheyenne at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. F.E. Warren, which operates as the 90th Space Wing, controls 150 Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles on a full alert status every second, minute and hour of the day all year long.

The missiles are located in varying distances from Warren in rural parts of Wyoming, western Nebraska, and northern Colorado. Missile workers from Warren man the missile sites on lengthy shifts called “alerts” that are rotated throughout the year. These missile workers, along with those stationed at Warren and civilian workers there, make up a significant portion of Cheyenne’s population.

According to the United States Department of Defense, the base directly employees about 4,500 people. Of the 4,500 about 1,000 are civilian employees while the other 3,500 are military personnel. According to that same set of numbers, there are about 5,400 family members of assigned military personnel that are added to the local population and another 5,000 retirees who call Cheyenne home.

When asked about the possibility of the current US-Russia treaty leading to a reduced role for Warren, U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis said, “The President’s intention to eliminate hundreds of warheads from our deployed nuclear arsenal could very well lead to reductions not just in our missile silos but also on our nuclear bombers and submarines.” Lummis added that “any talk of where the specific reductions will take place is premature until this treaty is delivered to the U.S. Senate.”

The U.S. Senate would have to ratify any treaty between the United States and Russia by getting 67 senators to approve it. White House officials have said that an official signing date between Obama and Medvedev is likely to be either April 5th or 8th. Once signed by the two heads of state, the treaty would go to the Senate for ratification.

When asked for a response, Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi’s office released a statement saying, “Senator Enzi is looking forward to reviewing the Nuclear Posture Review that is set to be released this spring before a ratification vote in the Senate. That review is what will really determine if the Obama administration plans to change the ICBM force and how it plans to meet the guidelines of the treaty if the treaty is ratified. Senator Enzi continues to support F.E. Warren and its mission.”

According to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the United States and Russia lead the world with nuclear warheads. Russia is reported to own 2,800 deployable warheads while the United States has about 2,200. Both nations have agreed to reduce their deployable warheads to between 1,675 and 1,500 over the next seven years.