In the Great Falls Tribune Sunday edition there was an editorial about the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and the possibility that the 150 remaining missiles at Malmstrom AFB might be taken away.  The title of the editorial was  “Malmstrom, area economy appear safe – for now” and you can read it HERE.

Of course, after reading the editorial, I have to offer my opinion.

I would like to have seen a stronger wake-up message for the community from the Tribune, but the editorial board does not appear to be too strong on national security or defense-related issues.  The Tribune probably does not have any reporters or maybe even editors with prior military experience.  That’s too bad because the local paper can help a community in the fight – if they have the weapons to get in the fight – and, in my opinion, Great Falls is probably headed for a fight to keep Malmstrom AFB open.

The most important line in the whole editorial was the last one:

To assume that they’ll always be here would be a big mistake for the future of the community.

No kidding.  As I said before, it’s time for Great Falls to get in the game because time is a wasting.

The Chairman of the Central Montana Defense Alliance and the President and CEO of the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce piggy-backed the Tribune editorial with a viewpoint of their own called, “Taking care in cuts and maintaining deterrence both essential.”  I could not find it on-line.

Overall, they presented a decent, although somewhat incoherent at times, argument about START.  A couple of things caught my attention:

First, the paragraph where they contend they will have to rely on “our senators, Max Baucus and Jon Tester, to stand firm on the value of the ICBM leg of the triad” almost made me spit out my coffee as I was reading it early Sunday morning.

Seriously, neither Montana senator has any clout with the DoD.  They hold no positions on any defense or military committees in which the Central Montana Defense Alliance can rely on them to make the deals.  These two senators already allowed ¼ of the Malmstrom missile mission to be taken in 2007 and the “powerful” Baucus was the senior senator when the aircraft mission was taken from the base – not a good sign.

Additionally, as I read the Nuclear Posture Review, the triad will stay but we just don’t know how many ICBMs will be allowed and that is where clout and political jockeying will come into play.  Right now Montana’s senators don’t even own a saddle.

Second, they also wrote that they “are working very hard supporting the 450 Minuteman ICBMs’ nuclear deterrence mission in Montana, in Wyoming and in North Dakota.”

That statement will make the people in Wyoming and North Dakota happy knowing that Montana is supporting them, but when push comes to shove it will be Montana against Wyoming against North Dakota.  I am sure the dues-paying members of the Chamber would appreciate their chamber looking out for “numero uno” and caring much less about the defense missions in other states, except to work in getting them moved to Montana.

Since time is a wasting, the Great Falls leaders should start developing their plans when this fight starts playing out – because I can guarantee North Dakota and Wyoming are probably not looking out for Montana or they won’t be when push comes to shove.