Sept. 2, 2026 Senior AFGSC leaders see Sentinel program advancements The Air Force’s senior leaders charged with overseeing the service’s nuclear enterprise took part in a two-day immersion at Hill AFB, gaining insight into how AFGSC and its mission partners at Hill AFB and Northrop Grumman are fielding the Sentinel ICBM.
Sept. 1, 2026 Officials break ground on AETC's Sentinel training unit at Vandenberg SFB The Air Force officially broke ground on its largest military construction project Aug. 17, 2026, in support of the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program during a groundbreaking ceremony.
Aug. 31, 2026 Initial operating capability of MH-139 Grey Wolf announced AFGSC announced that the MH-139 Grey Wolf has officially achieved Initial Operational Capability as of Aug. 10, ushering in a new era of modernization for AFGSC’s nuclear security operations.
July 22, 2026 Sentinel ICBM program’s utility corridor project commences with ‘golden shovel’ groundbreaking event The Air Force celebrated a significant milestone on the Air Force’s LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program with a groundbreaking ceremony to recognize the first in-field construction of weapon-system-related equipment.
June 9, 2026 DAF senior leaders explain, justify sizable budget boost in Senate hearing DAF senior leaders presented a unified front to a Senate subcommittee justifying a historic budget request for fiscal 2027.
May 21, 2026 DAF leaders outline readiness, modernization priorities in FY27 budget testimony Department of the Air Force and Department of War leaders testified before the House Armed Services Committee on the fiscal year 2027 budget request.
March 27, 2026 Sentinel program advances with silo prototype The silo prototype will validate a modular, repeatable construction approach designed to accelerate fielding, reduce cost growth and enable learning before full-rate production.
March 4, 2026 ICBM test launch verifies multiple re-entry vehicle, system reliability Air Force Global Strike Command conducted a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with two test re-entry vehicles at 11:01 p.m. Pacific time March 3 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
Feb. 17, 2026 Delivering deterrence: Sentinel restructure to complete in 2026, initial capability timeline set The U.S. Air Force rolled out its plan for the LGM-35A Sentinel program, which will deliver the nation’s next-generation, modernized, land-based nuclear deterrent to America’s warfighters.
Jan. 13, 2026 MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopters complete 1st operational ICBM convoy security mission Two MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters assigned to the 40th Helicopter Squadron conducted their first operational Minuteman III ICBM convoy Jan. 8, marking an important milestone in the modernization of AFGSC’s nuclear security operations.