You’re looking at one of the 450 intercontinental ballistic missile silos that are strategically scattered across the vast expanse of the American Midwest, far from any coastline or major population center. Each silo extends 100 feet underground, using the earth and concrete as protection from enemy strikes. These doomsday minuteman III ICBMs can reach anywhere in the world within 30 minutes. But there’s a problem. The Minuteman III missile is fast aging out, it first came online in 1970 and until recently they were programmed with old school floppy disks. We’re approaching a point where their systems won’t work properly anymore. Updating them has been a low priority compared to submarine and air-launched nukes, which can stay hidden and are mobile targets.
