Anticipated expenses for U.S. nuclear arsenal escalate to a staggering $946 billion by 2034
Fresh Take:
Brace yourself, folks! The price tag for updating America's nuclear forces through 2034 has seen a hefty increase, climbing up to a whopping $946 billion, a whopping 25% higher than the 2023 estimate, according to a report by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.
This jump doesn't take into account an 81% cost overrun on the Sentinel, a new intercontinental ballistic missile in the making to replace the Trident III, the backbone of the U.S.-based ICBM force.
The escalating costs of maintaining the second-largest nuclear arsenal in the world are set to cause a headache for President Trump's plans to boost the defense budget to a whopping $1 trillion by fiscal 2026.
Money for nuclear weapons comes from both the Pentagon and the Department of Energy, the steward of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Daryl Kimball, head of the Arms Control Association, a pro-disarmament group, expressed concern: "The costs of the existing nuclear modernization program are skyrocketing beyond all expectations."
The CBO warned that Congress will have to make some tough decisions in the coming years "about what nuclear forces the United States should field in the future and therefore the extent to which the nation will modernize."
Disappointingly, Trump hasn't yet revealed his nuclear weapons strategy, nor appointed key staff members to oversee it. Adding to this, the U.S. and Russia, bearers of the world's largest nuclear arsenals, haven't restarted arms control talks, even as the last agreement limiting deployments expires in less than a year.
Trump previously stated his opposition to building new nuclear weapons and disdain for the high costs associated with the arsenal. However, he also expressed a desire to negotiate an arms control treaty with Russia and China, which is expanding its relatively smaller nuclear arsenal.
The new projection indicates that the Pentagon and the Department of Energy's plans to operate U.S. strategic and tactical nuclear forces, purchase new bombers, submarines, and ICBMs will cost an estimated $946 billion, averaging $95 billion per year, through 2034.
Compared to the 2023 CBO projection, this represents a significant increase of $190 billion. The difference is due to the higher costs of programs such as developing and fielding the Sentinel ICBM, modernizing the Pentagon's nuclear command infrastructure, upgrading communicating and early-warning systems, and enhancing the DOE's production facilities. The new projection is also higher due to its extended timeline.
Sneak Peek: Critics argue that alternatives, such as extending the Minuteman III's service life, could have reduced costs while ensuring deterrence, but were met with rejection. Stay tuned for more insights!
- The escalating expenditures on updating America's nuclear forces, which now amounts to $946 billion by 2034, could pose a challenge for President Trump's plans to increase the defense budget to $1 trillion by fiscal 2026.
- The new Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), the Sentinel, faces an 81% cost overrun, adding to the overall increases in nuclear weapons expenditures, particularly in the upcoming year, 2023.
- Senior figures in the industry and finance, as well as the general news, are closely monitoring political discussions about future deployments of nuclear forces, given the substantial increases in expenditures over the past few years, reaching $946 billion through 2034.
- In the midst of war-and-conflicts discussions, Daryl Kimball, head of the Arms Control Association, expressed concern over the skyrocketing costs of modernizing nuclear forces, reaching $946 billion on average per year through 2034.
- As the last agreement limiting deployments approaches its expiration in less than a year, there's a growing concern within the general news and politics sectors about the lack of a strategic plan from President Trump regarding nuclear weapons expenditures, especially given the significant increase in expenditures to $946 billion through 2034.
