Like many other military bases, Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana dates back to the years preceding World War II, when the War Department was building its capabilities and readiness. Originally named the Great Falls Air Force Base and assigned the mission of providing air route support for materials airlifted to the Soviet Union, the base’s mission was shifted to bomber training for the B-17 Flying Fortress.
Over its years of operation, the base was assigned a variety of responsibilities and missions, but by the time the base was renamed Malmstrom Air Force Base, it began its conversion from bomber base support to missile basing. Malmstrom eventually became the housing for Minuteman I ICBMs.
Asbestos use in the construction of the base’s structures and its aircraft operations has made asbestos exposure a very real concern for Air Force veterans, their family members, and civilian employees who spent time on the base throughout its operations. However, the discovery of significant ongoing asbestos contamination in Malmstrom’s nuclear missile housing has created concern about the potential for current and future asbestos-related diseases among those serving today.
The History of Malmstrom Air Force Base
When war broke out in Europe, the U.S. War Department quickly began exploring potential sites for new military installations at strategic sites around the country. Among these sites was Great Falls, Montana, and in 1942, construction of a heavy bomber training base began. Called the Great Falls Army Air Base, its original mission was to establish an air route between Great Falls and Ladd Field in Alaska to supply the Soviet Union with aircraft and supplies needed to support the war effort.[1]
Bombardment groups trained at Great Falls Army Air Base and later went on to participate in bombing runs over Germany. Later, the base was expanded with the construction of a 400-bed hospital, a mess hall, a Post Exchange, and a theater, and parts for more bombers arrived for assembly and later transfer to Russian pilots. Both the construction materials and the aircraft parts and miscellaneous equipment shipped to and through Great Falls Army Air Base were contaminated with asbestos, exposing service members and civilian employees to microscopic fibers that they inhaled, and which later led to asbestos-related diseases.[1]
After the war’s end, the airfield in Great Falls was used to transport personnel and supplies to Alaska and the northern Pacific, and a reserve training unit was established there that operated in 1946 and 1947. Shortly after the Air Force became a separate branch of the military in 1948, the Great Falls Air Force Base played a critical role in the strategic airlift of supplies to West Berlin after the Soviet blockade. The base was officially renamed Malmstrom Air Force Base in 1953.[1]
As America entered the Korean War, Malmstrom Air Force Base resumed its training responsibilities, and by the late 1950s, the creation of the North American Aerospace Defense Command transformed Malmstrom Air Force Base into an integral part of the U.S. air defense mission. It took on various roles, including providing a home base for fighter escorts and refueling capabilities for long-range bombers. By 1961, the construction of the first missile launch facilities began and the first Minuteman I intercontinental ballistic missiles arrived by 1962; by 1963 the site became fully operational, with each of its three squadrons controlling 50 missiles. By 1967, Malmstrom’s missile field was the largest in the United States, covering 23,500 square miles.[1]
In 1989, Malmstrom Air Force Base underwent a major restructuring. It facilitated hundreds of combat sorties refueling coalition aircraft and transferred millions of pounds of fuel during Operation Desert Storm; the base also deployed security, civil engineering, services, and support personnel in support of the effort. In 1991 the Minuteman II missiles, bombers, and tankers were taken off of alert status. Missiles were removed and a new program was launched, modifying the facilities to accommodate the next generation of missiles, which were transferred to Malmstrom in 1995.[1]
That same year, Malmstrom’s refueling group was transferred to Florida, and in 1997 its runway was declared inactive. The base became home to a rapidly deployable engineer mission to military and humanitarian operations worldwide. New family housing, dormitories, work facilities, and a commissary have recently been built, eliminating much of the base’s asbestos-contaminated infrastructure that had previously housed service members and their families.
In 2023, an Associated Press report revealed Air Force documents dating back decades, documenting the dangers of asbestos exposure and other toxic materials at three of the Air Force’s nuclear missile bases, including Malmstrom Air Force Base. One document from 1992 reported asbestos leaks in missile silos in 1989, despite Air Force reviews of the facilities in 2001 and 2005 claiming that the sites were free of health hazards.[2]
In response to this report, the Air Force announced that it was investigating its nuclear launch silos for potential cancerous risks, and surveying personnel to determine how many have developed cancers. It announced a new communication model between medical personnel and missile community members and the assignment of medical professionals to ICBM units to facilitate a better understanding of the environment and missions and to work with personnel with known occupational exposures to toxic materials, including asbestos.[3]
How Was Asbestos Used at the Malmstrom Air Force Base?
Long before it was publicly known that asbestos was a carcinogenic material the U.S. military made extensive use of the mineral in numerous applications. In the years between the 1930s and 1980, it was used in the construction of barracks and family housing, mess halls, and administrative buildings, as well as in aircraft insulation and parts, and that use extended to the parts and concrete used in the construction of Malmstrom’s launch control centers, underground capsules, and silos, which were built in the 1960s.
Asbestos-containing materials and parts used at Malmstrom Air Force Base included:
- Adhesives
- Aircraft
- Aircraft Brakes
- Automobile and truck brakes
- Cargo bay insulation Adhesives
- Caulking
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement foundations
- Concrete
- Drywall
- Electrical wiring
- Epoxies
- Fireproofing materials
- Floor tiles
- Gaskets
- Heat shields for aircraft engines
- Heating systems
- HVAC systems
- Insulation materials
- Paint
- Pipes
- Plumbing
- Roofing
- Roofing adhesives
- Sealants
- Vinyl floor tiles
- Wallboard
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at Malmstrom Air Force Base?
Like most other U.S. Air Force bases established in the build-up to World War II, most buildings and infrastructure at Malmstrom Air Force Base were originally built with asbestos-containing materials, and the same was true of the aircraft that service members trained on, flew, and repaired during the decades of wartime support of bombardment, supply, and refueling operations. Air Force veterans who served and lived on the base throughout those years were at risk of exposure to asbestos fibers as part of their work responsibilities and in their hours spent in barracks and mess halls, and the same is true of family members who lived in family housing built with asbestos-containing materials and suffering secondary exposure to asbestos dust carried into their homes on their loved one’s hair, skin, and clothing.
Many think of asbestos exposure as a relic of the past, and that those at risk for asbestos-related diseases are only veterans and civilians exposed before 1980, but at Malmstrom Air Force Base, asbestos exposure continues to be a very real risk. According to the Associated Press, toxic risks faced by Malmstrom’s nuclear missile crews included asbestos readings that were fifty times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety standards.[4]
Those who were most at risk of asbestos exposure at Malmstrom Air Force Base included:
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Welders
- Electricians
- Contractors
- Construction Workers
- Airmen
- Boiler Workers
- Pipefitters
- Machinists
- Carpenters
- Pilots
- Aircraft Mechanics
- Supply Depot Personnel
- Nuclear Missile Crew Members
Help for Malmstrom Air Force Base Asbestos Victims
Air Force veterans and their family members, as well as civilians who worked at Malmstrom Air Force Base, can be proud of their service and contributions to America’s war efforts and defense, but that service may carry a high price. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease like malignant mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer, the journey ahead will be a challenge, but there is help available. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides special disability compensation for veterans sickened by service-related exposure to asbestos, and there are several VA Medical Centers that provide state-of-the-art treatment of asbestos-related diseases.
Additionally, you may be eligible to file a claim with the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds established by asbestos companies that filed for bankruptcy, and you may also be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against those responsible for your asbestos exposure. To learn more about the options available to you, reach out to an experienced asbestos attorney. They will be able to provide you with the information and guidance you need to make an informed decision for yourself and your family.
