The U.S. Air Force has dismissed Col. Charles Clegg, the official overseeing the LGM-35A Sentinel Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent program, amid an extensive review of the program’s escalating costs.
Col. Clegg, who assumed his role in August 2022, was removed due to a “loss of confidence in his ability to lead the directorate” and failure to follow organizational procedures, according to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center Commander Maj. Gen. John Newberry. The decision comes as the Sentinel program faces scrutiny after its projected costs soared to $131 billion, triggering a Pentagon review under the Nunn-McCurdy Act.
Despite the timing, Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek clarified that Clegg’s removal was not directly related to the Nunn-McCurdy breach in January, which occurred when the Sentinel program exceeded its budget by 37 percent. This breach required Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to determine the program’s necessity for national security and decide whether it should continue.
“The removal of Col. Clegg does not impact the operational Minuteman III ICBM force, which remains our nation’s safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent,” Stefanek stated.
The Sentinel program, designed to replace the aging Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), has seen its estimated costs increase significantly from around $60 billion in 2015 to the current projection of $131 billion. The rising costs and schedule delays have drawn increased scrutiny from lawmakers and prompted calls for a thorough and unbiased review of the program’s necessity and feasibility.
A group of Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) and Don Beyer (D-Va.), along with Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), expressed concerns in a letter to Secretary Austin about the fairness of the ongoing review. They criticized the Air Force for starting the Nunn-McCurdy review with “biased and preconceived notions” and called for a comprehensive evaluation of all alternatives before proceeding with the Sentinel program.
The Pentagon’s results from the Nunn-McCurdy review are due to Congress on July 9. Lawmakers argue that given the program’s significant cost and importance, transparency from the Department of Defense (DOD) is crucial for proper oversight. The escalating costs and potential delays have raised questions about the program’s impact on other critical defense initiatives.
In addition to the cost concerns, the program involves significant infrastructure renovations or new construction to house the new missiles. The Sentinel project, initially expected to complete around 2030, now faces potential delays, with main contractor Northrop Grumman announcing earlier this year that a critical flight test would not occur until 2026.
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