In two current interviews, former All-domain Anomaly Decision Workplace (AARO)
Deputy Director Timothy Phillips said that AARO will handle choose
reviews of incidents involving UFOs and nuclear weapons in a forthcoming
historic report. Based on Phillips, AARO decided {that a} “cascading
transformer failure” triggered by an “electrical storm”, and never UFO
exercise, led to the March 1967 shutdown of a 10-missile “flight” of
nuclear-armed Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles at Malmstrom Air
Power Base, Montana.
Conversely, a 6 June 2025 Wall Road Journal story, citing AARO
officers, states that an unannounced Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) take a look at
prompted the shutdown.
Nonetheless, official unit histories of the 341st Strategic Missile Wing (SMW),
different U.S. authorities paperwork, and witness testimony flatly contradict
each explanations.
Phillips additionally said that AARO “didn’t see any proof of UAP or UFO
exercise within the journals or logs” of airfields and radar installations in
the neighborhood of Malmstrom Air Power Base in the course of the incidents in query.
This, too, is contradicted by official U.S. authorities paperwork,
contemporaneous media reporting, and witness testimony.
Of notice, there are two incidents in query:
(1) The shutdown of Echo Flight on 16 March 1967
(2) The shutdown of Oscar Flight on 24 March 1967
Important official documentation exists within the public area concerning the
former, whereas none exists concerning the latter. That is seemingly as a result of
non-disclosure agreements that the Air Power Workplace of Particular
Investigations (OSI) required missile launch officer 1st Lt. Robert Salas,
his then-missile commander, 1st Lt. Frederick Meiwald, and, presumably,
different witnesses to the 24 March 1967 incident to signal.
Past the March 1967 incidents at Malmstrom AFB, official U.S. authorities
paperwork, contemporaneous media reporting, and witness testimony recommend
that not less than one different related incident occurred at Minot AFB in 1966.
Malmstrom AFB:
Instantly after the 16 March 1967 shutdown of Echo Flight, testing started
at Malmstrom to find out the reason for the incident. Official 341st SMW unit
histories state that, following preliminary testing, “the investigation groups at
Malmstrom had been unable to find out a logical trigger for the incident.”
Opposite to Phillips’ statements (and AARO’s obvious findings), the 341st
SMW unit historical past spanning 1 January – 31 March 1967 states that, “After
performing the exams, it was determined that
industrial energy switching operations weren’t the reason for the Echo
shutdown.” (Emphasis added; see appendices for full sourcing).
Following further testing at contractor services all through mid-1967
and last testing once more at Malmstrom, official 341st SMW unit histories,
some
written almost a yr after the incident, rule out {an electrical} fault or
energy concern. As a substitute, engineers and contractors speculated that an Electromagnetic
Pulse might have prompted the shutdown.
See:
“On account of the truth that the facility exams had been basically damaging, it
seems that the reason for the Echo Flight drawback was of the EMP or
electrostatic nature.” (Emphasis added) (1 April – 30 June 1967 341st SMW
Unit Historical past;
PDF p. 38)
“A main trigger all the time related to Echo Flight Incident has been
related with some sort of adversarial energy have an effect on [sic].
Exams have been performed time and time once more to find out this, however have
all the time lead [sic] to a damaging consequence.” (Emphasis added) (1 July – 30 September 1967 341st SMW Unit Historical past;
PDF p. 51)
“One of many main theorys [sic] of the Echo Flight incident was related
with some sort of adversarial energy impact.
All take a look at [sic] performed towards this finish proved damaging outcomes.
(Emphasis added) (1 October – 31 December 1967 341st SMW Unit Historical past;
PDF p. 77)
“OOAMA thought that the reason for the incident was of the Electro Magnetic
Pulse (EMP) noise or electrostatic nature.” (1 July – 30 September 1967
341st SMW Unit Historical past;
PDF p. 48)
“The EMP exams at Sierra-39 had been thought-about to be the ultimate sequence of
exams on this space.” (1 October – 31 December 1967 341st SMW Unit Historical past;
PDF p. 77)
Moreover, as famous within the 1 January – 31 March 1967 341st SMW unit
historical past, and opposite to Phillips’ assertion, “climate was dominated out as a
contributing issue” within the 16 March Echo Flight shutdown. (See additionally:
“Climate situation and Capsule crew have been eradicated as causes of the
incident.”)
Equally, in response to the unit historical past, the Echo Flight shutdown occurred
earlier than (at “0845”) any reported transformer malfunctions. The
first documented energy failure occurred when a “7.2 KV transformer shorted
within the line to web site E-3 at 1450, 16 March 67.” (Emphasis added)
Past official unit histories, former Boeing engineer Robert Kaminski, who
served because the Boeing in-house undertaking engineer for the investigation of the
Echo Flight shutdown, wrote in a 1 February 1997 letter (hooked up) to
researcher James Klotz that, “After every week within the discipline the group returned
and pooled their knowledge. On the outset the group shortly seen an absence of
something that might come shut to elucidate why the occasion occurred.
There have been no important failures, engineering knowledge or findings that
would clarify how ten missiles had been knocked off alert.” (Emphasis added)
Based on Kaminski, “Using backup energy programs and different technical
system circuit operational redundancy strongly means that this type of
occasion is nearly unattainable as soon as the system was up and operating and on line
with different LCF’s and LF’s interconnectivity. The one factor that even got here
near a failure was {that a} transformer on a industrial energy pole down
the street from one of many websites was within the technique of failing. It exhibited
a[n] intermittent transient sort of failure that would have generated noise
spikes on the facility line.
This in itself couldn’t have prompted the issue at E-Flight. The
drawback was reported to the native energy firm who took motion to exchange
the transformer. The group met with me to report their findings and
it was determined that the ultimate report would don’t have anything important in it
to elucidate what occurred at E-Flight. In different phrases there was no
technical rationalization that would clarify the occasion.” (Emphasis added)
Kaminski continued, “The group went off to do the report. In the meantime I used to be
contacted by our consultant at OOAMA (Don Peterson) and instructed by him that
the incident was reported as being a UFO occasion –
{That a} UFO was seen by some Airmen over the LCF on the time E-Flight went
down. Subsequently, we had been notified just a few days later, {that a} cease work
order was on the way in which from OOAMA to cease any additional effort on this
undertaking. We stopped. We had been additionally instructed that we had been to not submit the
last engineering report. This was most uncommon since all of our work
required evaluate by the client and the submittal of a last Engineering
report back to OOAMA.” (Emphasis added)
Past Kaminski’s account, Robert Hastings, writer of
UFOs & Nukes, has documented witness accounts from missile launch
management and concentrating on officers, in addition to different individuals concerned in each
the 16 March and 24 March incidents. These embody Col Walt Figel (Echo
Flight, missile launch deputy commander), T/Sgt N. Henry “Hank” Barlow (Echo
Flight, electro-mechanical group), Col Frederick Meiwald (Oscar Flight,
missile commander), Capt Robert Jamison (Oscar Flight, missile concentrating on
officer), LtCol Dwynne Arneson (Officer-in-Cost, Malmstrom AFB
communications heart), and 1st Lt Robert Salas (Oscar Flight, missile
launch deputy commander). All of them attest to UFO exercise coincident with
each the Echo and Oscar missile flight shutdowns. (Robert Hastings)
Furthermore, opposite to Phillips’ declare that no UFO exercise was reported
in the course of the incidents, in depth Mission Blue Guide information doc such
exercise on 24 March 1967. A Telex from Malmstrom AFB to Wright-Patterson
AFB and numerous Air Power workplaces in Washington, D.C., for instance, states
that “Between the hours of 2100 and 0400 MST quite a few reviews had been obtained
by Malmstrom AFB companies of UFO sightings within the Nice Falls, Montana space.
Experiences of a UFO touchdown close to Belt, Montana had been obtained from a number of
sources together with deputies of Cascade County Sheriff’s Workplace.” (National Archives)
Contemporaneous information reporting additionally contradicts Phillips’ assertion that no
UFO exercise was recorded at native airfields or radar stations. A 26 March
1967 Nice Falls Tribune article on the reported UFO touchdown close to
Belt, MT, titled
“UFO Breaks Monotony of Run,”
states that “Airmen at Malmstrom Air Power Base reported sighting a UFO
about 5 to 10 miles northeast of the bottom at 3:30 a.m. Saturday. FAA radar
picked up the article at 3:42 a.m. to the northwest and reported it was off
the radar at 4:26 a.m.” (Emphasis added) (Newspapers.com)
For extra particulars, see:
“Malmstrom Air Power Base Picks Up UFO on Radar; Sabotage Alert Workforce
Situated One other UFO Immediately Over The Base,”
25 March 1967, Nice Falls Chief (The UFO Chronicles)
Briefly, a big quantity of official U.S. authorities documentation,
contemporaneous media reporting, and witness testimony immediately contradicts
Phillips’ statements (and, apparently, AARO’s conclusions) concerning the
1967 Malmstrom AFB incidents.
Minot Air Power Base 1966:
Advocate AARO evaluate the next:
19 August 1966: U.S. Border Patrol Officer Donald Flickinger observes
a disk-shaped UFO at shut vary alongside the western fringe of Minot AFB’s Mike
missile flight. Flickinger attracts detailed sketches (See: Nationwide Archives).
Notice, additionally, static interference with Flickinger’s radio. (National Archives;
Saturday Evening Post;
Minot Daily News)
25 August 1966: Minot Air Power Base tracks two UFOs over Mike
missile flight. Per official U.S. authorities documentation, missile
commander “on responsibility at Missile Web site (MIKE Flt)… indicated that radio
transmission was being interrupted by static, this static was accompanied by
the UFO coming near the missile web site (MIKE Flt). When UFO climbed,
static stopped.”
Moreover: “Strike group reported UFO descending, checked with Radar Web site
in addition they verified this. The UFO then started to swoop and dive. It then
appeared to land 10 to fifteen miles South of MIKE 6. ‘MIKE 6’ missile web site
management despatched a strike group to examine. When the group was about 10 miles from
the touchdown sight [sic],
static disrupted radio contact with them [emphasis original]… One other
UFO was visually sighted and confirmed by radar. The one which was first
sighted handed beneath the second. Radar additionally confirmed this.” (Saturday Evening Post;
Minot Daily News;
Robert Hastings)
25 September 1966: Former Minot Air Power Base missile launch management
officer Capt. David Schindele arrives at November Flight (adjoining to Mike
Flight) Launch Management Facility to see that every one 10 November Flight missiles
are off-alert standing following a close-range UFO incident the earlier
evening. Per Schindele, Air Power OSI instructed him to by no means communicate of the
incident. (Schindele testimony)
Sincerely,
Marik von Rennenkampff
Appendix A: Tim Phillips Feedback
“There was some work accomplished with the nationwide labs coping with a cascading
transformer failure at one of many missile ranges [Malmstrom]… The missile
silos had been truly related to the industrial grid for energy. They did
have their essential energy, they’d their very own mills however for
cost-savings they had been related to the industrial grid; dual-power feeds.
There was {an electrical} disturbance, there have been some storms, and the
filtering, the capacitors that might have shielded the essential programs in
the missile silos from an vitality surge coming by means of the industrial grid
failed and truly took a number of the missile silos down.” (Interview with Mick West, 17 June 2025)
“There’s been new tales about an EMP take a look at that I used to be not aware about after I
was nonetheless within the authorities. What I knew about was a report of a cascading
transformer failure the place there was [an] electrical storm and the silos had been
truly related to the industrial energy grid, nevertheless they did have their
personal mills and important energy and they’d swap off to their very own
mills so energy wouldn’t be interrupted. There was some electrical
disturbance that really defeated these filters, and the silos themselves
had been taken offline by a cascading transformer failure.” (Interview with John Michael Godier, 2 July 2025)
“There have been additionally some reviews of safety personnel who had been up above who,
in a number of the tales, they noticed UFOs or issues that they might not
perceive. We had been in a position to get logs on the numerous towers and we didn’t
see any proof of UAP or UFO exercise within the journals and logs that AARO
truly obtained to research.” (Interview with John Michael Godier, 2 July 2025)
Appendix B: Excerpts from 341st Strategic Missile Wing Unit Histories
1 January – 31 March 1967:
“On 16 March 1967 at 0845, all websites in Echo (E) Flight, Malmstrom AFB,
shutdown with No-Go Indication of Channels 9 and 12 on Voice Reporting
Sign Assemble (VRSA). (PDF p. 7)
“The preliminary time of the incident, determined by the crew, might be no extra
than two or three minutes sooner than the official log of 0845.” (PDF p. 11)
“Climate was dominated out as a contributing issue within the incident.” (PDF p. 14)
“Rumors of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) across the space of Echo Flight
in the course of the time of the fault had been disproven.” (PDF p. 14)
“The ability outage that affected E-1 at 1453 on 16 March 67, occurred on the
7.2/12.5 kilo volts (KV) transmission line from Winifred Substation.” (PDF p. 16)
“Climate situation and Capsule crew have been eradicated as causes of the
incident.” (PDF p. 16)
“A 7.2 KV transformer shorted within the line to web site E-3 at 1450, 16 March 67.”
(PDF p. 20)
“On 28 March 67, the 341st SMW along with the Montana Energy Firm
performed a switching take a look at on the 50 KV excessive voltage line between the
Harlowton and Glengarry substations. The take a look at was carried out on the request
of OOAMA/OONE as part of the preliminary Echo Flight incident investigation
carried out at Malmstrom. The intent of the take a look at was to confirm correlation, if
doable, between excessive voltage switching and launch facility shutdown or
different launch facility faults.” (PDF p. 20)
“After performing the exams, it was determined that industrial energy switching
operations weren’t the reason for the Echo shutdown.” (PDF p. 21)
“The investigation groups at Malmstrom, had been unable to find out a logical
trigger for the incident.” (PDF p. 21)
1 April – 30 June 1967:
“A take a look at plan was reviewed to perform the transformer failure simulation
exams at Malmstrom. Boeing had co-ordinated with the facility firm, and had
obtained their approval for the exams.” (PDF p. 35)
“The ability exams had been completed at Malmstrom AFB in the course of the week of 15
Might 67… Data on the Delicate Data Community strains and on the
industrial main energy strains confirmed no important noise propagation as a
results of simulating the transformer failure.” (PDF p. 36)
“On account of the truth that the facility exams had been basically damaging, it seems
that the reason for the Echo Flight drawback was of the EMP or electrostatic
nature.” (PDF p. 38)
1 July – 30 September 1967:
“OOAMA thought that the reason for the incident was of the Electro Magnetic
Pulse (EMP) noise or electrostatic nature.” (PDF p. 48)
“A main trigger all the time related to Echo Flight Incident has been
related with some sort of adversarial energy have an effect on [sic]. Exams have been
performed time and time once more to find out this, however have all the time lead [sic]
to a damaging consequence.” (PDF p. 51)
“On 28 September 1967, Sierra 39, 564th SMS, was depostured and turned over
to Boeing for EMP exams.” (PDF p. 51)
1 October – 31 December 1967:
“In direct relation to the Echo Flight incident as lined within the April –
June 1967 Historical past of the 341st SMW was the Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP)
testing performed all through the quarter.” (PDF p. 76)
“One of many main theorys [sic] of the Echo Flight incident was related
with some sort of adversarial energy impact. All take a look at [sic] performed towards this
finish proved damaging outcomes. The EMP exams at Sierra-39 had been thought-about to
be the ultimate sequence of exams on this space.” (PDF p. 77)
Appendix C: Energy Distribution to Echo, Delta, Mike, Oscar Flights
Launch Services (LFs) E-2-6, E-9/11
Provided by Totally different Substations than E-7, E-8
