DoD’s Nuke Revamp Hits $141B, Faces Delays

(PAUL J. RICHARDS/Getty Images)

In a recent update for its estimated project, the Pentagon has pinned the cost of refurbishing the United States’ land-based nuclear missiles at $141 billion — a $30 billion rise from January’s estimate. Yet, unknowns loom, namely if or when thousands of workers will be called to undertake the refurbishment project at all, The Washington Post reported Monday.

“There are a lot of unknowns here, and I understand the frustration,” Brig. Gen. Colin Connor said at a town hall recently. Residents of Kimball, Nebraska — a town near one of the largest missile fields — were informed by military officials that construction might not begin for another five years or longer, despite initial plans to start this summer.

The U.S. Air Force’s project, known as Sentinel, aims to replace aging Cold War-era intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with newer models. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that an overall modernization undertaking will cost at least $1.5 trillion during the course of the next 30 years.

But some lawmakers, such as Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., have questioned the necessity of maintaining land-based missiles, given the U.S.’s existing nuclear capabilities on submarines and bombers. Nonetheless, the Pentagon and various administrations have consistently maintained that these missiles are critical to national security and deterrence.

The existing missile systems, housed in approximately 450 silos, have far outlasted their expected 10-year lifespan, necessitating extensive upgrades. Air Force officials have highlighted the challenges, including the need for thousands of miles of new fiber-optic cabling, the rebuilding of underground command centers, and the difficulty of sourcing parts for outdated systems.

Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, defended the project despite the rising costs, stating, “Its scale, scope, and complexity are something we haven’t attempted as a nation for over 60 years.”

LaPlante indicated that the Air Force is exploring ways to simplify the Sentinel project, though final decisions on changes could take up to 18 months, with an update expected early next year.

For the rural communities near the missile fields, however, the delays have provided something of a reprieve from the anticipated civil disruption: the slew of military contractors pouring in. “It’s nothing short of a blessing for us that the Air Force backed off,” said John Morrison, mayor of Kimball, Nebraska, while noting the potential economic impact of the project on local infrastructure.