The Wall Street Journal, citing Pentagon responses, reported that refurbishing the two-decade-old silos would cost thousands of dollars more than initially thought and could take just five years to begin.
The US Department of Defense has finally decided He presses As the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program, its estimated cost has nearly doubled from the original $78 billion. Replacing the aging Minuteman III has no alternative, neither does the Pentagon.
It could be “Five years or more before starting work” Regarding the upgrade of about 450 existing silos for the new ones, the Wall Street Journal reported on the second exhibit, citing a recent town hall meeting in Kimball, Nebraska. The community of fewer than 3,000 residents is surrounded by “Mother of the Mayors Campo de Messis” Not the world.
“There are a lot of unknowns here and I understand the frustration.” Brigadier Colin Connor spoke to residents this month.
The missing Minuteman IIIs entered service in the early 1970s and were due to be replaced a decade later. Washington finally gave the Sentinel program the green light in 2020, awarding the initial $13.3 billion contract to Northrop Grumman, after Boeing pulled out. The Sentinel project manager was Colonel Charles Clegg. I left Im Junho For unspecified reasons.
In addition to the new faults, which are still being implemented, the project provides for the modernization of two silos and two 50-year-old command centers. The construction includes, among other things, the installation of thousands of kilometers of fiber optic cables.
Therefore, it is impossible to enclose silos or command facilities, because nuclear power requires them to be available at any time. Some silos may also need to be rebuilt from scratch.
About the size, scope and complexity of the Sentinel project “Something we as a nation over 60 years old are not trying to do.” Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante recently spoke to reporters and insisted that it should be done as well.
The Air Force is looking at ways to reduce the complexity of the project, but it could take 18 months to decide on moves, LaPlante said, with hopes of that happening by early 2025.
These delays could spell trouble for the Pentagon, the National Security Agency or the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. government has negotiated about a third of the two real estate deals needed to install thousands of miles of fiber optic cable. But some of them may need to be revised in light of the new timetable.
Meanwhile, the increase in construction and raw material costs is due to advance cost estimates. “Don't be so confident and unrealistic” Pentagon officials publish.
