Issue Briefs
Air Force’s Sentinel ICBM Program Is Struggling, Potentially Impacting Nuclear Deterrence
(From Forbes)
Loren B. Thompson
January 01, 2024
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.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely the author’s.
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Loren B. Thompson is a Senior Adviser at GPI, Chief Operating Officer of the non-profit Lexington Institute and Chief Executive Officer of Source Associates, a for-profit consultancy. Prior to holding his present positions, he was Deputy Director of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University and taught graduate-level courses in strategy, technology and media affairs at Georgetown. He has also taught at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Thompson holds doctoral and masters degrees in government from Georgetown University and a bachelor of science degree in political science from Northeastern. |