For Immediate Release:

May 30, 2024

Contact: Gabe Murphy, gabe@taxpayer.net

Washington, D.C. – Taxpayers for Common Sense today released a report titled “Ripe for Rescission: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of U.S. ICBMs.” The report assesses the value of the planned Sentinel ICBM, as well as ICBMs more broadly, against the goals laid out in the Biden administration’s 2022 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). It finds that the Sentinel and ICBMs generally do not meaningfully support those goals when considered alongside the rest of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. In some cases, the report argues, the Sentinel actively undermines the goals of the NPR. The report recommends canceling the Sentinel program, decommissioning the Minuteman III, and reworking U.S. nuclear strategy based on a nuclear dyad rather than a triad.

“The Sentinel is not necessary for deterrence given the other nuclear weapons platforms in the U.S. arsenal,” said Steve Ellis, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense. “We have over 1,300 nuclear warheads deployed on ballistic missile submarines, bombers, and fighters, many of which are more powerful than the warheads planned for deployment on the Sentinel. At a projected cost of $315 billion over its lifecycle, the Sentinel is a redundancy we don’t need at a price we can’t afford.”

The Sentinel saw a 37 percent jump in its per unit price projection earlier this year, triggering a critical breach of the Nunn-McCurdy Act that requires a reevaluation of the program. Beyond its growing cost, the report argues that the Sentinel fails to meaningfully support the NPR’s goal of a “safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent.” Moreover, it undermines the NPR’s goals of reducing the risk of nuclear war, supporting nonproliferation, and reducing U.S. reliance on nuclear weapons.

“The enormous cost increase provides an opportunity to rethink this leg of the triad,” said Ellis. “The nation is already building new ballistic missile submarines and bombers. That’s the belt and suspenders for the nuclear arsenal. ICBMs are a costly relic that can be retired.”

“Building new nuclear weapons runs counter to the administration’s goals of supporting nonproliferation and reducing U.S. reliance on nuclear weapons,” Ellis continued. “When we look at federal spending, we ask if taxpayers are getting their money’s worth. In the case of the Sentinel, the answer is a clear no.”

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Taxpayers for Common Sense is a nonpartisan budget watchdog calling out wasteful spending and advocating for transparency.