America's feared nuclear missile facilities are still controlled by computers from the 1960s and floppy disks



60 Minutes received a tour of the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the storage facility of 450 nuclear warheads and a Minuteman III missile



The facility was built in the 1960s to withstand a nuclear attack and alot of its equipment dates back to that time



The floppy disks that contain the missile launch codes are safe and effective because it allows center to stay disconnected from the internet and prevent cyber terrorism, the military claims



Tour comes in the wake of a major cheating scandal that has implicated 91 Air Force nuclear missile officers, nine of which were fired



The isolated U.S. military silo that contains one of deadliest nuclear arsenals in the world - some 450 warheads that are each 20 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima - is being controlled by computers dating back to 1960s and a launch system that relies on floppy disks.

But security officials maintain their methods are not only functional but hack-free, with the underground control room in Wyoming not connected to the internet, stopping any cyber terrorists gaining control over the weapons.

60 Minutes gained access to the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne and will broadcast its full report from the facility tonight.

CBS Correspondent Lesley Stahl said she believed the unprecedented invitation to take a look inside was part of a move by the military to show the public their system was safe in the wake of a widespread cheating scandal among their ranks.

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Haven't seen one of them in a while: An underground missile control center in Wyoming that is launch facility of the LGM-30G Minuteman-III - the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States - uses primitive computers that date back to the 1960s, including floppy disks

Rudimentary: While the computers and equipment at the missile control center are aging, they not connected to the outside world - the internet - which prevents the weapons being hijacked 60 Minutes reporter Leslie Stahl tours the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as part of a report on missile operations The control center computer systems, which manage the launch of some of America's and the world's - most power nuclear weapons, date back to the 1960s when the facility was built

Four Air Force nuclear missile officers were found to be at the center of the still-unfolding scandal, with nine officers were fired at the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, and 82 others facing disciplinary action after being caught cheating on proficiency tests.

The officers need to get 100 percent on the exams in order to work at facilities, such as the one in Cheyenne.

The four 'librarians', as they have been dubbed, allegedly faciliated the cheating, in part by transmitting test answers via text message.

Major General Jack Weinstein, the new commander of the missile corps, told 60 Minutes of his efforts to make improvements following the disaster.

Outside of the cheating, the underground centers are in desperate need of an upgrade.

The silos were built in the 1960s and are designed to survive a nuclear attack.

Most of the communications systems are analog, built to receive launch orders from the president in time of war.

But even the phones are primitive and constantly have connection problems.

'They're awful,' one officer said about the phones.

'You can't hear the other person on the other end of the line.

The isolated facility in Cheyenne, Wyoming, looks like a small ranch from above, but underneath is a vast silio containing 450 live nuclear warheads The LGM-30G Minuteman III missile is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States

'Sometimes you can't dial out, which makes it very difficult if you're trying to do your job.'

Gen. Weinstein told Stahl the Air Force was 'looking at upgrading' the phones 'in the next few years'.

Other aging equipment include a reinforced door that is meant to protect the entrance to the control center, but that hasn't worked for years because of a broken part, according to CBS News.



The Air Force has pledged to spend $19 million this year to improve launch control centers and missile silos.



Another $600 million next year is hoping to help with more extensive improvements.

Capt. Lauren Choate, a Minuteman 3 missile launch officer, works at the console of a launch simulator used for training at F. E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.

An Air Force officer adjusts the launch knob for a missile at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming

The land-based Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) - the focus of the 60 Minutes story - make up one part of a 'nuclear triad' tasked with storing the weapons of the United States, which also includes submarines and bombers.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated it will cost $355 billion over the next 10 years to maintain and upgrade all three legs of the triad.

Some analysts contend the U.S. can live without the land-based missiles, because their positions are known to our enemies and once launched, they cannot be recalled.

