Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Sentinel Deployment and Minuteman III Decommissioning and Disposal

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The Department of the Air Force (DAF) is issuing this notice to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to the Environmental Impact Statement for Sentinel (Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) Program Deployment and Minuteman III Decommissioning and Disposal (2023 EIS) and the May 2023 Record of Decision (ROD) which documented DAF's decision regarding sequential replacement of all land- based Minuteman III (MMIII) intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in the United States with a technologically advanced Sentinel ICBM system on base at Francis Emroy Warren Air Force Base (AFB) (FE Warren) in Wyoming, Malmstrom AFB (Malmstrom) in Montana, and Minot AFB (Minot) in North Dakota and in the missile fields across five states. The SEIS will analyze potential environmental impacts associated with changes to the Proposed Action analyzed in the 2023 EIS. The "Sentinel Weapon System Program" ("Sentinel Program" from this point forward) addressed in the 2023 EIS and the May 2023 ROD was formerly known as the "GBSD." This SEIS is being prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 United States Code 4321 et seq.), as amended by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, the 2026 Department of War and the 2026 DAF NEPA Implementing Procedures. DAF is the lead agency for the Proposed Action. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency will be invited to participate as Cooperating Agencies. DAF will consult with, and obtain the comments of, federally recognized Native American Tribes and federal agencies that have jurisdiction by law or special expertise related to the environmental analysis.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 195 (Friday, October 9, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 195 (Friday, October 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64644-64646]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-20724]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Air Force


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Sentinel Deployment and Minuteman III Decommissioning 
and Disposal

AGENCY: Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Air Force (DAF) is issuing this notice 
to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to the 
Environmental Impact Statement for Sentinel (Ground Based Strategic 
Deterrent (GBSD) Program Deployment and Minuteman III Decommissioning 
and Disposal (2023 EIS) and the May 2023 Record of Decision (ROD) which 
documented DAF's decision regarding sequential replacement of all land-
based Minuteman III (MMIII) intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) 
in the United States with a technologically advanced

[[Page 64645]]

Sentinel ICBM system on base at Francis Emroy Warren Air Force Base 
(AFB) (FE Warren) in Wyoming, Malmstrom AFB (Malmstrom) in Montana, and 
Minot AFB (Minot) in North Dakota and in the missile fields across five 
states. The SEIS will analyze potential environmental impacts 
associated with changes to the Proposed Action analyzed in the 2023 
EIS. The ``Sentinel Weapon System Program'' (``Sentinel Program'' from 
this point forward) addressed in the 2023 EIS and the May 2023 ROD was 
formerly known as the ``GBSD.'' This SEIS is being prepared in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) 
(42 United States Code 4321 et seq.), as amended by the Fiscal 
Responsibility Act of 2023, the 2026 Department of War and the 2026 DAF 
NEPA Implementing Procedures. DAF is the lead agency for the Proposed 
Action. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau 
of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm 
Service Agency will be invited to participate as Cooperating Agencies. 
DAF will consult with, and obtain the comments of, federally recognized 
Native American Tribes and federal agencies that have jurisdiction by 
law or special expertise related to the environmental analysis.

DATES: A public scoping period of 30 days will take place starting from 
the date of publication of this Notice of Intent in the Federal 
Register. DAF requests comments on alternatives, impacts, relevant 
information, studies, or analyses with respect to the Proposed Action. 
Comments should be submitted in writing to the website or address 
listed in the ADDRESSES section and will be accepted at any time during 
the SEIS process; however, to ensure DAF has sufficient time to 
consider public input, please submit within the 30-day scoping period. 
The Draft SEIS is anticipated to be provided for public comment in fall 
2027. The Final SEIS is anticipated for publication in Spring 2028.

ADDRESSES: The project website at <a href="http://www.sentinelseis.com">http://www.sentinelseis.com</a> provides 
information on the SEIS and the scoping process and can be used to 
submit scoping comments electronically. Scoping comments may also be 
submitted by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#cb98aea5bfa2a5aea7988e82988bbfaebfb9aabfaea8a3e5a8a4a6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1241777c667b7c777e41575b415266776660736677717a3c717d7f">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>, including ``Sentinel 
SEIS'' in the subject line, or by U.S. mail to Sentinel SEIS, c/o Tetra 
Tech, 711 Navarro Street, Suite 560, San Antonio, Texas 78215. SEIS 
inquiries and requests for digital or print copies of scoping materials 
are available upon request at the email or mailing address provided. 
For printed material requests, the standard U.S. Postal Service 
shipping timeline will apply. Members of the public who are interested 
in additional information about the project are encouraged to visit the 
project website.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For inquiries regarding accommodations 
under the Americans with Disabilities Act or questions regarding the 
Proposed Action, scoping, and SEIS development, please contact: Air 
Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs, Lt. Col. Rodney E. Ellison 
Jr., at (318) 456-1305, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 
p.m. Central Time, or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e18087869282cf9180968e938a878d8e96a19492cf8087cf8c888d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="99f8fffeeafab7e9f8eef6ebf2fff5f6eed9eceab7f8ffb7f4f0f5">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The overarching Purpose and Need for the 
SEIS remain the same as the 2023 EIS. The Purpose of the Proposed 
Action is to replace all land-based MMIII missiles deployed in the 
continental United States with the Sentinel Program and to ensure the 
nation continues to maintain safe, secure, and effective ICBMs and 
associated infrastructure for the land-based leg of its nuclear weapons 
program in support of national security objectives. The Need for the 
Proposed Action is compliance with Public Law 115-232 and to ensure the 
United States continues to have effective, responsive, and resilient 
ICBMs and associated infrastructure for the land-based leg of its 
nuclear weapons program and the capacity and adaptability to manage and 
respond to shifting global requirements. The specific Need for the 
Proposed Action in this SEIS is that the original approach to 
recapitalizing all existing MMIII infrastructure could not be carried 
forward because key Sentinel Program milestones were no longer 
achievable due to cost and schedule risks associated with converting 
existing Launch Facility (LF) sites to Launch Silo (LS) sites. Pursuant 
to the July 2024 Acquisition Decision Memorandum directing the 
restructure of the Sentinel Program, DAF evaluated optimized deployment 
strategies to reduce execution risk, stabilize costs, and address the 
complexities of legacy infrastructure. DAF restructured its basing 
approach from legacy facility reutilization to the construction of 
modernized, new-built LS sites that are adaptable to future 
technological advancements.
    The Proposed Action of this SEIS would include, at each missile 
field, plausible redesign, function, and relocation of workforce hubs 
to support construction efficiency; closure in place of a selected 
number of the current 150 MMIII LF sites; disposal of existing Missile 
Alert Facility (MAF) and LF sites; conversion of qualifying LF sites to 
LS sites; reutilization of MAF sites for Launch Center (LC) 
development, procurement of easements for new utility corridors, 
including fiber-optic cables not evaluated in the 2023 EIS; in-field 
MH-139 (Grey Wolf) helicopter refueling and rearming capability at 
selected LC sites; and construction of additional on-base facilities or 
infrastructure. Missile field-specific aspects of the Proposed Action 
include land acquisition through real estate transactions for new LS 
and LC sites at FE Warren and Minot; possible replacement of an 
existing LF site with an LC site at FE Warren; expansion northwest of 
the existing missile field at FE Warren; expansion west and east of the 
existing missile field at Minot; reutilization of former 564th Missile 
Squadron geographic sites as swing space and establishment of temporary 
laydown areas at Malmstrom. The Proposed Action also includes up to 30 
new LS sites at FE Warren, and up to 60 new LS sites at Malmstrom and 
Minot.
    The SEIS will also analyze the No Action Alternative. Under the No 
Action Alternative, the DAF would continue to implement the May 2023 
ROD. It would sequentially replace all land-based MMIII ICBMs and 
reutilize 80 percent of existing utility corridors while constructing 
only 20 percent of new utility corridors in newly established easements 
with a technologically advanced Sentinel ICBM system on base and in the 
missile fields at FE Warren, Malmstrom, and Minot. Although the No 
Action Alternative presumes the present course of action identified in 
the May 2023 ROD, the DAF will compare the impacts of the Proposed 
Action to the baseline conditions identified in the 2023 EIS for 
purposes of assessing the environmental impacts of the proposed 
alternatives in the SEIS. The No Action Alternative is not a reasonable 
alternative because it has been deemed unachievable due to cost, 
schedule, siting, and engineering constraints.
    DAF has determined that the Proposed Action has the potential to be 
located within a floodplain. Thus, the Proposed Action is subject to 
the requirements and objectives of Executive Order (E.O.) 11988, 
``Floodplain Management.'' This NOI serves as the public notice 
directed by E.O. 11988 to encourage early and meaningful public 
participation.

(Authority: 42 United States Code 4321, et seq., and Department of 
War and Department

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of Air Force National Environmental Policy Act Implementing 
Procedures.)

Crystle C. Poge,
Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2026-20724 Filed 10-8-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3911-44-P


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