America's nuclear arsenal to cost $946B over next decade

Summary

An Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test Oct. 29, 2020, at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. (US Air Force photo by Michael Peterson) WASHINGTON — America’s nuclear arsenal will cost $946 billion over the next decade, an estimated total that rose by 25 percent over the last two years, according to a new report [PDF] from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The total, covering operations, sustainment and modernization for the years 2025-2034, comes out to an average of $95 billion per year, according to the CBO’s biannual report, which was released Thursday. The 25 percent cost increase from the previous edition, released in 2023, amounts to $190 billion. That change stems largely from CBO estimating an increased cost on projects, including from the Sentinel ICBM effort, which Pentagon officials have said is 81 percent above its baseline cost estimate; however, some increase costs are the result of a shift of two years in the time period covered, as the previous report covered 2023-2032. American nuclear weapons are funded through two different pots of money: the Department of Defense, which funds the delivery systems such as bombers or submarines, as well as the support systems like nuclear command and control, and the Department of Energy, which funds (largely through the semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration, or NNSA) the management and upgrade of nuclear warheads. The CBO total breaks down like this: $357 billion to “operate and sustain current and future nuclear forces and other supporting Activities” $309 billion to “modernize strategic and tactical nuclear delivery systems and the weapons they carry” $72 billion to “modernize facilities and equipment for the nuclear weapons laboratory complex” $79 billion to “modernize command, control, communications, and early-warning systems” $129 billion to “cover potential additional costs in excess of projected budgeted amou...