California Construction News staff writer
The U.S. Air Force has broken ground on its largest military construction project to date, a new training facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base that will support the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program.
Korte Construction Co., based in St. Louis, is building the $114 million project.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held Aug. 17 and marked the start of construction on a more than 170,000-sq. ft.facility that will house the Sentinel ICBM Formal Training Unit.
It will serve as a central training hub for the next generation of U.S. land-based nuclear deterrence, provide initial skills training for missile operators and advanced technical instruction for missile maintainers transitioning from the Minuteman III system to Sentinel.
“This groundbreaking milestone is a visible testament to the continued momentum behind the Sentinel program,” said Lt. Col. Suzy Lamar, commander of Sentinel Task Force Detachment 9 at Vandenberg. “Our task force is sharply focused on ensuring a seamless, coordinated site transition from the Minuteman III to Sentinel, and capitalizing on the physical progress we see here today is essential to making that operational shift a reality.”
The Sentinel Task Force was activated at Vandenberg on March 6, 2025 to oversee and coordinate local transition efforts as the Air Force deactivates legacy Minuteman III operational sites and deploys the Sentinel system.
Project partners who participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking included Army Col. Joshua P. Bost, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District; Lt. Col. Luke Oman, commander of the 532nd Training Squadron; Daniel Gilstrap of Joint Task Force Castle; Thor Kooda of the Sentinel System Program Office; and Brent Korte, CEO of Korte Company.
“Vandenberg was established as a missile training and test base nearly seven decades ago during the first missile age,” Horne said. “Today, we are preparing to train the force that will lead us into the Sentinel era.”
The new facility is part of a broader modernization effort at Vandenberg, where infrastructure and capacity are being expanded to support space training, space launch, missile testing and other strategic missions.
Construction is expected to be completed by the early 2030s.
“The FTU, a state-of-the-art facility, will completely transform how we develop our nuclear warriors,” Oman said.
The modernized facility is intended to help Second Air Force produce Airmen prepared to operate and maintain the Sentinel system when they arrive at operational units.
“This highly digital, modernized infrastructure ensures that Second Air Force is delivering combat-ready Airmen who are fully prepared to operate and maintain the Sentinel system on day one,” Oman said.
