The Air Force will not abandon its program to build the next intercontinental ballistic missile, despite the massive cost overrun it reported to Congress last week. The LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM program is now expected to cost 37 percent more than previous projections, totaling almost $132 billion. Lieutenant General Richard Moore, deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, stated that “Sentinel will be funded. We’ll make the trades that it takes to make that happen.”
The Government Accountability Office warned in June that ICBM-builder Northrop Grumman was struggling with staffing shortfalls, supply chain problems, and clearance processing delays. The overruns aren’t caused by the “missile itself,” but by the program being a massive “civil works” project, including building the silos and missile field modernization. The service has already looked “pretty extensively” at how to trim costs.
The Air Force currently plans to transition from buying “platforms and weapons” in 2024 to “integrated, end-to-end effects chains” in 2025. This includes cutting its fleets to pivot toward high-end technology and reducing the average fleet age. Future investments include the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) and collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs). However, under a continuing resolution, the service won’t be able to “ramp” up spending, since CRs freeze most spending at 2023 levels.
