F.E. Warren AFB Minuteman III missile field north of Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States
The F.E. Warren AFB Missile-Field Cigar (1976)
Former missile combat crew commander Bruce Fenstermacher publicly described in 2010 a fall-1976 incident at F.E. Warren AFB in which security teams allegedly reported a pulsating cigar-shaped object moving from silo to silo for roughly two and a half hours. Fenstermacher's service role is identifiab
Why This Case Matters
Potentially important nuclear-site testimony from a named missile officer, but the case's reputation exceeds the surviving contemporaneous record.
Chronology
- Fall 1976 claimed overnight missile-field observation/security radio traffic
- no public contemporaneous report located
- Fenstermacher retires after USAF career
- Aug–Sep 2010 public interviews/National Press Club testimony
- later nuclear-UFO literature incorporates case
The Witnesses
Evidence
The following evidence types are documented for this case:
Conventional explanations: Aircraft lights, bright astronomical source/scintillation, balloon, parallax and memory development are viable. Claimed movement from silo to silo and rapid departure cannot be tested without contemporaneous logs.
What Remains Unresolved
- Exact date/flight/LCF
- names/statements of security teams and NCO
- command-post logs
- security incident reports
- any radar record
- whether official records exist but remain unrecovered.
Key Takeaways
- Do not use the strong 1965 Warren or 1975 NORAD records as if they document Fenstermacher's 1976 event. The specific 1976 case remains late testimony without a paper trail.
Sources
Primary and secondary sources for this case file: