The audio accompaniment for this piece is provided by the Air & Space Forces Association, which dedicates itself to recognizing and assisting our Airmen, Guardians, and their loved ones. Discover further details at afa.org
On March 27, military authorities disclosed that Air Force Global Strike Command has observed elevated incidences of testicular cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma within the nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) sector, relative to other occupational fields across the service.
These discoveries, representing the most recent outcomes of an extensive epidemiological investigation undertaken by the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, were revealed at a public forum. This represents a shift from approximately eighteen months prior, when preliminary figures from the study’s initial stage indicated no notable disparity in cancer prevalence between Airmen serving with ICBMs and either the broader Air Force or the general populace.
The comprehensive Missile Community Cancer Study commenced in early 2023, prompted by resurfacing anxieties regarding a potential rise in non-Hodgkin Lymphoma instances at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. The military branch had previously disregarded these worries in assessments conducted in 2001 and 2005. As per the Mayo Clinic, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is considerably more prevalent than Hodgkin lymphoma.
The epidemiological assessment, constituting a component of the broader research, has progressed through various stages, wherein investigators amassed additional information from distinct record repositories during each successive period.
In March 2024, authorities reported that an initial stage, analyzing information from Pentagon digital medical histories spanning 2001 to 2021—specifically encompassing individuals diagnosed with cancer via the Military Health System or Tricare health coverage—revealed elevated rates of breast and prostate cancers within the missile community, relative to the wider population.
However, by October 2024, upon the study’s expansion to incorporate data from the Department of Veteran Affairs’ electronic health records and the cancer registries of both the Department of Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs, extending in certain instances to 1976, investigators discerned no elevated prevalence of any malignancies.
The subsequent phase, finalized in January 2025, concentrated on cancer-related fatalities and ascertained that mortality figures for the ICBM cohort were, in fact, inferior to those of the general U.S. populace.
Over a year thereafter, officials disclosed that the succeeding stage of the research—which consolidated information from all federal and 43 regional databases—scrutinized 148,078 cancer diagnoses among Air Force members who served from 1976 to 2010. The ultimate determination: testicular cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma manifest with greater frequency among ICBM personnel compared to their Airmen counterparts, whereas other types of cancer are identified at statistically comparable or reduced frequencies.
During the March 27 public meeting, representatives additionally addressed preliminary findings indicating a “statistically meaningful elevated occurrence of melanoma within the missile sector when contrasted with the overall U.S. populace,” as per a media statement. Nevertheless, this skin malignancy is not exclusive to missile personnel. Increased instances of melanoma have similarly been detected within the aviation sector, the announcement elaborated, further noting that epidemiologists typically have “not determined non-UV work-related exposure to be a substantial factor in melanoma development.”
The investigation is set to proceed with a thorough examination of particular roles, temporal spans, and geographical sites, wherever practicable, the communiqué indicates.
“While the Missile Community Cancer Study is achieving substantial headway, it is imperative to highlight that the inquiry remains underway,” stated USAFSAM Commander Col. Ric Speakman in the declaration. “Currently, our findings merely suggest an escalation in specific cancer types among the missile community, rather than confirming that employment within this community directly induces these cancers.”
The genesis of cancer typically results from an interplay of numerous elements, Speakman remarked.
“The subsequent action involves endeavoring to more accurately pinpoint which individuals within the missile community might experience a heightened cancer occurrence,” he articulated. “Our paramount concern continues to be the welfare and vitality of our missile community, and we shall persist in our efforts to guarantee a complete and precise interpretation of the results.”
Beyond the epidemiological assessment, the 711th Human Performance Wing scrutinized whether the custom of incinerating regulated materials within launch control facilities could precipitate detrimental health consequences for missileers.
A cohort comprising toxicologists, chemists, and engineers with expertise in physics modeling and emission quantification carried out regulated combustion events to replicate exposure levels and gauge potential oncological and non-oncological hazards for staff.
The group ascertained that the probability of substantial protracted health ramifications from controlled incinerations was “beneath the occupational threshold for heightened cancer danger,” as per the communiqué. However, medical representatives underscored that the research has not yet concluded.
Currently approaching its concluding phases, the investigation is integrating combustion trials and additional evaluations, aiming to deepen the comprehension of potential health perils to the missile cohort.
Commencing in 2023, the research has additionally scrutinized other ecological dangers like polychlorinated biphenyls, commonly referred to as PCBs, at Malmstrom and the Air Force’s two other ICBM installations, Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, and Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
PCBs can be found in outdated electronic devices, and although the manufacturing of PCBs was prohibited in 1979, ICBM infrastructure has existed for decades. The Air Force initiated the gradual elimination of PCBs at ICBM sites in the 1980s, but whether this undertaking was entirely fulfilled remains uncertain. A further significant apprehension for missileers involves radon exposure and water pollution. Radon, a radioactive gas emanating from bedrock and earth, is a concern as missile facilities are situated subsurface, with staff residing in confined spaces during 24-48 hour duty periods.
Air Force Global Strike Command has been segregating PCB-affected zones and persisting in performing intensive sanitization to eradicate the prospective health dangers, the communiqué stated.
At the public forum, commanders emphasized that missileers are able to utilize the Defense Department’s Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record system to juxtapose their service information against identified exposures to oncological hazards, thereby “guaranteeing the streamlined and efficacious continuation of personalized medical attention,” the declaration specifies.
As a veteran missileer, General S.L. Davis, the head of Global Strike Command, conveyed the personal importance of this investigation being executed meticulously.
“This matter resonates deeply with me,” Davis asserted. “I commend the advancements achieved thus far, and I pledge to continue overseeing a rigorous examination to safeguard our Airmen.”
The audio accompaniment for this piece is provided by the Air & Space Forces Association, which dedicates itself to recognizing and assisting our Airmen, Guardians, and their loved ones. Discover further details at afa.org