The cost of the U.S. Air Force’s Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program has surged to approximately $160 billion, up from an initial estimate of $95.8 billion, according to multiple sources. This substantial increase threatens to impact funding for other crucial defense modernization projects. The program, managed by Northrop Grumman Corp., aims to replace the aging Minuteman III missiles.
In response to the escalating costs, the Air Force has removed Col. Charles Clegg, the top official overseeing the Sentinel program. Clegg, who assumed his role in August 2022, was dismissed by Maj. Gen. John Newberry, commander of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. The Air Force cited a loss of confidence in Clegg, unrelated to the Nunn-McCurdy breach in January, which saw the Sentinel program exceed its budget by 37%, triggering a mandatory Pentagon review.
The Sentinel program’s cost has ballooned by $65 billion since the last estimate in 2020, leading the Pentagon to consider scaling back the project’s scope or extending its timeline. The latest figures prompted the application of the Nunn-McCurdy Act, which requires the Pentagon to justify the necessity of programs that significantly overrun their budgets to Congress. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is expected to address Congress on this matter next week.
The Sentinel program’s cost escalation is placing additional pressure on other Air Force priorities, including the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter jet, hypersonic weapons development, the B-21 bomber, and various space initiatives. Despite these challenges, Air Force leaders maintain that the Sentinel program is essential for maintaining America’s nuclear deterrent. To explore alternatives, the Pentagon has requested industry estimates for extending the service life of the current Minuteman III missiles.
The increasing costs have drawn congressional attention, with several Democrats calling for a comprehensive review of the Sentinel program’s necessity at its updated cost. A congressional nuclear arms working group is scheduled to hold a hearing on July 24 to further scrutinize the program. Additionally, Northrop Grumman has announced a delay in a critical flight test for the Sentinel missiles until 2026, pushing the program’s expected completion to around 2030.
Part of the cost increase is attributed to the need for extensive infrastructure renovation or construction to house the new Sentinel missiles, which are spread across several states in the rural Western U.S..
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