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Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce www.greatfallschamber.org
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Malmstrom Air Force Base is located east of Great Falls,
Montana. The base traces its beginnings to World War II when
Great Falls Army Air Base was established as a training field
for B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crews. Construction began
on May 7, 1942. Today Malmstrom AFB is one of three U.S.
Air Force bases that maintain and operate the Minuteman III
intercontinental ballistic missile.
The 341st Missile Wing is made up of a wing staff and five
groups: the 341st Operations Group, 341st Maintenance
Group, 341st Security Forces Group, 341st Mission Support
Group and 341st Medical Group. The wing also hosts a mission
partner, the 40th Helicopter Squadron, which operates UH-1N
"Huey" helicopters throughout a 13,800-square mile missile
complex. The helicopters are used as a force-multiplier in
day-to-day security of missile facilities.
Other tenant units at Malmstrom Air Force Base include
the 819th Rapid Engineer Deployable, Heavy Operational
Repair Squadron, Engineer (RED HORSE) Squadron and the
Montana Air National Guard's 219th RED HORSE Squadron;
the 22nd Space Operations Squadron Detachment 1;
and Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI)
Detatchment 806.
The base has about 4,000 active-duty military and civilian
members assigned. Approximately 2,500 family members live
and work on and around the base, and an estimated 6,500
veterans live in the local area. Malmstrom Air Force Base's
economic impact on the local economy in fiscal year 2021
totaled approximately $384 million. It is a major employer in
Montana and created 1,328 indirect jobs in fiscal year 2021.
Malmstrom Air Force Base
