US Strategic Command chief defends ICBM replacement program January 6 An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test on Oct. 29, 2020, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force) WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department must be allowed to press forward with replacing its Cold War-era Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, the head of U.S. Strategic Command said Tuesday. “You cannot life-extend Minuteman III,” said Adm. Charles Richard, who spoke with reporters during a Defense Writers Group event. “It is getting past the point of [where] it’s not cost-effective to life-extend Minuteman III. You’re quickly getting to the point [where] you can’t do it at all.”