Why America Needs ICBMs
Adam Lowther
With the recent news that the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program is expected to experience a Nunn-McCurdy breach, which means program costs are expected to increase by at least 15 percent, many in the arms control community are calling for termination of the program and the elimination of the ICBM leg of the nuclear triad. Such a decision would be a mistake. Let me explain.
With the Minuteman III ICBM fleet now 50 years old and 35 years beyond its planned service life, there is no option but to build a new ICBM. Although Northrup Grumman, the prime contractor on the Sentinel program, made a good faith effort to estimate the cost of building a new missile and retrofitting Minuteman III launch control centers and launch facilities with the new hardware required for the new missile, no company has engaged in this kind of activity in five decades.
Thus, in many respects, any estimate of costs can be no more than a ballpark estimate at best. Think about it. Have you ever tried to do a home improvement project for the very first time and it went exactly as you planned—without a hitch? Of course not. What about those home improvement shows where the contractor always finds something hidden behind the drywall that sends the remodel cost way up? Doing something once every 50 years with a workforce that has zero experience with such a project is a recipe for cost overruns.
https://globalsecurityreview.com/why-america-needs-icbms/
