351st Operations Group

The 351st Operations Group was a United States Air Force strategic-missile unit assigned to the 351st Missile Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It was constituted on 29 August 1991 and activated on 1 September 1991 as part of the Air Force's Objective Wing reorganization. Under that structure, operational elements formerly associated with the 351st Missile Wing's intercontinental ballistic missile mission were placed within a dedicated operations group. The group's principal responsibility was the operation and eventual deactivation of the wing's LGM-30F Minuteman II missile system. Its components included the 351st Operations Support Squadron and the 508th, 509th, and 510th Missile Squadrons. These units supported the launch-control and missile-field infrastructure associated with the 351st Missile Wing. The group was therefore not a commercial brand or business enterprise, but an organizational identity used by the United States Air Force for a strategic weapons unit. A major transition began in September 1991 after President George H. W. Bush directed the stand-down of the Minuteman II force. On 28 September 1991, personnel from the group began procedures at launch control centers to dissipate launch codes and install safety measures that prevented unauthorized or unintended activation. This marked the practical beginning of the unit's transition from an operational nuclear-alert mission toward weapons-system retirement and facility deactivation. On 1 June 1992, the group was relieved of its emergency war order mission and concentrated primarily on deactivating the Minuteman II system. The same date coincided with the end of the Strategic Air Command era and the start of the Air Combat Command period for the unit. On 1 July 1993, the 351st Missile Wing transferred from Air Combat Command to Air Force Space Command, reflecting the latter command's responsibility for the Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missile wings. The group remained at Whiteman Air Force Base throughout its existence. Its missile squadrons and the group itself were inactivated on 31 July 1995 as the Minuteman II mission at the wing was concluded. Because it existed for a limited period during a major restructuring and nuclear-force drawdown, the 351st Operations Group is chiefly significant for its role in managing the final operational phase and deactivation of a Cold War-era missile system.

The 351st Operations Group was constituted on 29 August 1991 and activated on 1 September 1991 at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. Its creation reflected the United States Air Force's Objective Wing concept, which reorganized wing functions into more clearly defined operational, support, and maintenance organizations. The group became the operational element of the 351st Missile Wing and absorbed the wing's principal intercontinental ballistic missile squadrons: the 508th, 509th, and 510th Missile Squadrons. The 351st Operations Support Squadron was also assigned to it. The group operated during the final phase of the Cold War-era Minuteman II mission. Its equipment and mission centered on the LGM-30F Minuteman II, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile deployed through launch facilities and geographically dispersed launch-control centers. The organization supported the operational readiness of those systems and the associated command, control, and safety procedures. The strategic environment changed soon after the group's activation. On 28 September 1991, following President George H. W. Bush's directive to stand down the Minuteman II, group personnel began dissipating launch codes and pinning safety-control switches at launch control centers. These actions represented a controlled reduction in the system's ability to conduct its former alert mission while maintaining procedural security during the transition. On 1 June 1992, the 351st Operations Group was relieved of its emergency war order mission. Its main responsibility thereafter was the deactivation of the Minuteman II weapon system. That date also marked the end of Strategic Air Command and the beginning of Air Combat Command, placing the group's broader command relationship within the post-SAC Air Force structure. On 1 July 1993, the 351st Missile Wing transferred from Air Combat Command to Air Force Space Command, along with the other Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile wings. The group continued its deactivation-related work at Whiteman Air Force Base until the 351st Missile Wing's Minuteman II-era organizations were closed. The 508th, 509th, and 510th Missile Squadrons, together with the 351st Operations Group, were inactivated on 31 July 1995. The unit therefore existed for less than four years and did not evolve into a continuing commercial or institutional brand. Its historical importance lies in its role as an Air Force operational organization during the stand-down and retirement of a major Cold War strategic missile system.

• 1995

  Inactivated

  [1]351st Operations Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group and its assigned missile squadrons were inactivated on 31 July 1995.

• 1993

  Parent wing moves to Air Force Space Command

  [1]351st Operations Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 351st Missile Wing transferred from Air Combat Command to Air Force Space Command on 1 July.

• 1992

  Emergency war order mission ends

  [1]351st Operations Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was relieved of its emergency war order mission on 1 June and focused on Minuteman II deactivation.

• 1991

  Constituted as the 351st Operations Group

  [1]351st Operations Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The United States Air Force constituted the group on 29 August 1991.

• 1991

  Activated at Whiteman Air Force Base

  [1]351st Operations Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was activated on 1 September 1991 and assigned to the 351st Missile Wing.

• 1991

  Minuteman II stand-down begins

  [1]351st Operations Groupen.wikipedia.org

  On 28 September, personnel began dissipating launch codes and applying safety-control measures in response to the presidential stand-down directive.

A United States Air Force strategic-missile operations organization focused on the Minuteman II mission and its orderly deactivation during the post-Cold War force transition.

• Intercontinental ballistic missile

  LGM-30F Minuteman II

  The LGM-30F Minuteman II was the strategic weapon system supported by the group from its activation through the end of its operational mission. The group was associated with the missile's launch-control and missile-field operations and later with the controlled deactivation of the system after the 1991 stand-down directive. It was the group's only specifically identified missile system.

• 1992

  Formal end of emergency war order missionStrategy

  Background

  The end of the group's emergency war order mission coincided with the end of Strategic Air Command and the creation of Air Combat Command.

  Action taken

  The group redirected its primary operational focus to deactivating the Minuteman II weapon system.

  Aftermath

  The unit continued under the 351st Missile Wing through the subsequent transfer of that wing to Air Force Space Command and its eventual inactivation.

  Source

• 1991

  Transition from Minuteman II alert operations to stand-downStrategy

  Background

  A presidential directive to stand down the Minuteman II led the group to change from an operational strategic-alert posture toward controlled weapons-system deactivation.

  Action taken

  Personnel dissipated launch codes and pinned safety-control switches at launch control centers beginning on 28 September 1991.

  Aftermath

  The group was formally relieved of its emergency war order mission on 1 June 1992 and concentrated on deactivation activities until its inactivation in 1995.

  Source

1. 1351st Operations Groupen.wikipedia.org