The editorial board of the Missoulian today commented on the chance of Malmstrom AFB losing 50 of their missiles with their editorial, “Keep missiles, jobs in perspective.”

The DOD would like to cut 50 of the 200 missiles at Malmstrom AFB. This was proposed during the last Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). At that time, the Montana Congressional delegation, led by U.S. Senator Conrad Burns, stopped it. Now the process is moving again. Is there any member of the current Montana Congressional delegation who has the clout to stop it this time? Time will tell.

The editorial board is correct with some of their comments, but they fail to see the big picture. First, they are correct in that this can’t be just about jobs. Everyone knows that the basis for keeping any military base in their state or district has the underlying theme of keeping jobs. If you are a politician, you don’t want to see jobs being lost on your watch.

I wonder how the Missoulian editorial board would feel if, for example, the University of Montana decided to do away with their law school or school of pharmacy to save money?

The basis for keeping those 50 missiles at Malmstrom AFB has to be about National Security, period. Any argument that does not include this angle is moot. The DOD cut the number of missiles from 1000 down to 500 since 1990. There are only three missile bases now, Malmstrom, F.E. Warren and Minot. Once the missiles are gone, they won’t be back.

With the emergence of North Korea, China and other countries on the nuclear playground, is keeping the 500 missile level important? I think it is.