Bloomberg News reports that the Air Force’s effort to replace its aging ICBM force is facing substantial cost growth and multiyear delays. Called Sentinel, the program involves developing a new missile to replace Minuteman III and replacing a vast infrastructure of underground silos and launch centers. The Air Force contends the missile is not a problem, at least at present, but the infrastructure is proving more complicated and costly than originally expected. Rep. Adam Smith rightly describes this discovery as alarming, because Sentinel must be operational circa 2030 to assure that the ICBM leg of the nuclear triad is adequate to meet mission requirements. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.
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