Buffalos or Global Thermonuclear War? Show Me the Nukes!

I know that it sounds kind of twisted, but one of the things that I had been really looking forward to on this trip was visiting a nuclear missile silo. Yeah, I know… it is kind of like looking forward to visiting the Orlando Police station on a trip to Walt Disney World… but hey everybody is entitled to being a little deranged.

Believe it or not, there is a National Landmark – run by the National Parks Service – which is comprised of a decommissioned Minuteman II nuclear missile silo and its associated launch control center. During the Cold War the United States installed 150 Minuteman II nuclear missile silos in South Western South Dakota along with several other states.

Each silo contained one missile which – along with nine other silos – was controlled by a central launch control center located a few miles away. The silo sites, which were approximately one acre square and surrounded by an eight foot fence topped with barbwire, sat out in the middle of the South Dakota countryside. Some of them – like Delta 9 which is the one we saw – were located right alongside the interstate.

At first glance, the silo site looks nothing more than a flat concrete patio with a large hunk of steel and concrete sitting in the center of it. In reality the hunk of steel and concrete is the 60 ton silo cover which – just prior to a missile launch - is literally “thrown” 100 feet away by a massive underground hydraulic system.

Underneath the silo cover sits a six story tall Minuteman II nuclear missile – two of which contain more destructive power than ALL of the bombs dropped in World War II – by all combatants – including both the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

As I stood staring at the “dummy” missile, I was amazed that there - in the midst of God’s amazing creation that we call the Badlands – sat a single missile that could completely destroy and entire city and its entire population, on the other side of the planet in a little more than 30 minutes.

But the silo and the missile are only part of the story. What is equally amazing are the men and women who - around the clock for nearly 50 years – guarded, maintained, and ultimately stood ready to launch the missiles at a moment’s notice.

Although we didn’t get to visit the launch control center (you had to make a reservation for the tour about three months in advance) we were able to watch a video that told its story. Each launch control center consisted of a couple of common single story buildings surrounded by a barbed wire fence. The buildings housed the small group of personnel who performed routine missile maintenance and security. And while it looked relatively benign on the surface, it was what was underneath that made it deadly.

Thirty-five feet below the buildings sat the missile launch center. Within the center – two Air Force officers sat twelve feet apart – monitoring the ten missiles under their control and waiting for the launch command from the President of the United States. Upon receiving the appropriate launch authorization codes, each would remove a key from a safe, insert the keys in the appropriate switch, and turn them within 2 seconds of one another. Simultaneously, this same procedure would be occurring in another launch control center by two other Air Force officers. The moment that all four keys turned, ten missiles would scream into the South Dakota sky… signaling the beginning of World War III.

A little over a decade ago, the United States – in accordance with the START II treaty – removed all 150 Minuteman II missiles from South Dakota. The missiles were destroyed and the silos either imploded or filled with concrete. However, in their place – throughout North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana – sit 400 Minuteman III nuclear missiles… each containing not one, but rather three nuclear warheads with far greater destructive power than the Minuteman IIs… each waiting to be launched at a moment’s notice.

At the same time, throughout the world, other nations – some friendly to the United States, others not so friendly – already possess or are currently seeking the same destructive power.

As I stared into the silo, the reality of the fact that you and I are not guaranteed tomorrow was once again reinforced into my mind. Our lives can be ended in a flash by a nuclear missile or more likely by a single distraction while driving a car, a bunch of cells dividing uncontrollably, or by a tiny clogged artery. It would all be pretty depressing if it wasn’t for a single fact…

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)

By Mike