Malmstrom Air Force Base

Malmstrom Air Force Base (mälm'strum, mălm'–) [key], U.S. military installation, 3,573 acres (1,446 hectares), W central Mont., E of Great Falls; est. 1942. During World War II, it was the takeoff point for Soviet-bound lend-lease materiel; after the war it was a training base for crews in the Berlin Airlift. The now-dissolved Strategic Air Command (SAC) assumed command in 1954; SAC's first Minuteman missile wing was established there in 1961. The missile complex adjoining the base is one of the largest in the world.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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