Historical Marker
The Ace in the Hole
Cascade County · Montana
The panel's last line dates it. The wing it names was the 341st Space Wing only from October 1, 1997 until July 1, 2008, when the Air Force restored the name 341st Missile Wing, so the text was written within that decade. Its missiles are history too. Malmstrom replaced every Minuteman I with a Minuteman II between August 1967 and May 1969, took those off alert after President Bush's order of September 1991, and has kept only Minuteman IIIs since the mid-1990s. Alpha flight's launch control center stands about nine miles southeast of Belt.
What the plaque says
The Ace in the Hole Montana may seem a long way from international events, yet it was once in the forefront of a confrontation between the United States and Soviet Union. In October 1962, American President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev stood toe-to-toe over the issue of Soviet missiles based on launch pads in Cuba. Kennedy insisted they be removed, while Khrushchev and Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro vowed they would stay. For thirteen days the world teetered on the edge of a war between the two superpowers but President Kennedy had an "Ace in the Hole" - the new Minuteman I missiles, which stood ready in underground launch facilities in Montana. The missiles were part of the Air Force's recently- activated 341st Strategic Missile Wing, headquartered at nearby Malmstrom Air Force Base. The first missile, at the Alpha-06 launch facility, went on-line during the crisis and provided a significant deterrent to Khrushchev's plans. The Alpha-06 launch facility, and many others like it, is still operational today and continues to protect the United States under the watch of the men and women of the 341st Space Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
Where it stands
47.08110, -110.82494 · Directions