New half-trillion-dollar U.S. nuclear weapons bill sparks funding fight

WASHINGTON – A sharply higher new estimate of the cost of modernizing the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal is raising questions over whether Congress is prepared to foot the bill. The Washington Times reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

29 Jan. 2019 -- A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis released last week put the total projected cost for maintaining and improving the U.S. government’s nuclear missile arsenal at $494 billion over the next decade — up 23 percent from the CBO’s estimate just two years ago.

“The nation’s current nuclear forces are reaching the end of their service life,” the report said. Nearly all of the military’s land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, long-range bomber aircraft, shorter-range tactical aircraft carrying bombs, nuclear warheads, and submarines that launch ballistic missiles will have to be replaced or refurbished in the next 20 years.

The Department of Energy’s projected costs are 25 percent higher than the previous estimate, totaling $168 billion to maintain and improve nuclear capabilities, while the Defense Department’s estimate came in at $326 billion, or 22 percent higher than formerly projected.

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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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