by Airman 1st Class A.J. Johnson
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. (AFNS) -- Secretary of Defense William Perry and Russian Minister of Defense Gen. Pavel Grachev pushed two buttons on a small yellow detonator Oct. 28 and watched as a reinforced concrete Minuteman II missile silo was imploded by nearly 1,000 pounds of explosives.
The silo, M-06, located near Holden, Mo., is one of 150 scattered across the Missouri countryside that are to be imploded under the provisions of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty signed by both the United States and Russia. It was the 18th silo imploded in Missouri since December 1993. The last of the Minuteman II missiles were removed from Missouri silos in May 1994.
"This is what we really call a partnership for peace," Grachev said after the implosion. "The result of these kinds of gestures and activities make Russia even more prone to take the additional steps and actions to strengthen our ties and bind our two countries together."
Grachev and Perry arrived at Whiteman earlier that morning and were greeted by Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Brig. Gen. Ronald C. Marcotte, 509th Bomb Wing commander here, and other Whiteman senior leaders.
Perry, Grachev and an entourage of more than 60 people, including Russian media, were flown from the Whiteman flightline to the missile implosion site in seven Missouri Army National Guard UH-H helicopters based at Whiteman.
Near the missile site at the edge of a harvested corn field, the Russian minister of defense, Perry and others were briefed on the implosion" trigger procedures" before Grachev and Perry imploded M-06.
"General Grachev and I have this morning joined in a partnership to destroy one of these weapons. This is a reciprocal act," Perry said. "Earlier this year, Minister Grachev hosted us in Russia, and we participated in the dismantlement of a Russian strategic bomber. . .and some ICBMs from the Ukraine.
"What we have seen today was a real act -- the destruction of a real silo. It symbolized the dismantlement ending this nuclear threat which has confronted both our countries and the world for so many decades," Perry said.
After the missile implosion, Grachev, Perry and the distinguished visitors returned to Whiteman to see .B-2, B-1 and B-52 bomber static displays, before departing for Washington, D.C.
(Johnson is assigned to 509th BW public affairs)