Los Alamos Study Group

Nuclear Weapons Modernization: Current Articles and Issues
Other selected analyses and background • Plutonium pit production
updated 20 Dec 2024

LAND

• As costs soar, Air Force says it "neglected" Sentinel infrastructure, Colin Demarest, Axios, Sep 11, 2024
• Air Force going ‘line by line’ to bring down nuclear missile costs, Stephen Losey, Defense News, Sep 4, 2024
• US nuclear project ‘years’ behind schedule – WSJ, RT, Aug 26, 2024
• U.S. Nuclear Missile Silos Need Modernizing, but Fixes Aren’t Coming Soon, Doug Cameron, Wall Street Journal, Aug 26, 2024
• The Price of the Sentinel Nuclear Weapons Program Keeps Going Up--But the True Costs Are Even Higher, Union of Concerned Scientists, Aug 14, 2024
• US Shouldn’t Pour More Money Into Missile Silos, Bloomberg, Aug 8, 2024
• Russia Is Helping China Fill Its Nuclear Missile Silos, US Says, Newsweek, Aug 2, 2024
• Strategic forces ranking Republican says dates for Sentinel, rest of triad ‘too late’, Exchange Monitor, Aug 2, 2024
• Firing nuclear missiles from the pork barrel, Responsible Statecraft, Aug 1, 2024
• LASG Bulletin 348: Sentinel rumors, Jul 26, 2024
• Pentagon official says Sentinel program ‘100 thousand percent’ crucial to NATO’s deterrence policy, Exchange Monitor, Jul 26, 2024
• Pentagon says Northrop Grumman must share blame for ICBM’s 81% cost increase, Stars and Stripes, Jul 24, 2024
• Air Force could reopen competition for Sentinel ICBM ground infrastructure, Hunter says, Breaking Defense, Jul 20, 2024
• New Research Finds Blood Cancer Cases at Malmstrom Air Force Base Likely Not 'Due to Chance', Military.com, Jul 15, 2024
• Can't Build New, Can't Maintain Old: US ICBM Crisis Threatens Nuclear Triad, Frontier India, Jul 14, 2024
• US Left Eating Russia's Dust as Struggling Sentinel ICBM Program Cannot Catch Up to Yars and Sarmat, Sputnik International, Jul 13, 2024

Sentinel GBSD concept

2023
• A gigantic new ICBM will take U.S. nuclear missiles out of the Cold War-era but add 21st-century risks, Associated Press, Dec 10, 2023
• Air Force general says Sentinel can be tipped with multiple warheads, Exchange Monitor, Dec 1, 2023
• Carcinogens found at Montana nuclear missile sites as reports of hundreds of cancers surface, Associated Press, Aug 7, 2023
• Air Force authorizes start of construction on Sentinel support facilities, Exchange Monitor, Jun 2, 2023
• Shifting military requirements changed design of new ICBM pit; first unit delayed, Exchange Monitor, Feb 17, 2023

2022 • Inside the $100 Billion Mission to Modernize America’s Aging Nuclear Missiles, Time, Sep 13, 2022

2021
• Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile, Defense News, Sep 9, 2021

2020
• ICBM Fuse Program Faces Delays From Capacitor Issue, Exchange Monitor, Feb 28, 2020
• Second Minuteman Launch to Test NNSA-Made Warhead Fuse in the Books, Exchange Monitor, Feb 7, 2020

2018
• Air Force Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Fuze Modernization (ICBM Fuze Mod), Dec 2018

AIR

• Air Force Joint-Global Strike Operations Center commander says 80-4 ‘going well and on time’, Sarah Salem, Exchange Monitor, Dec 6, 2024
• Bomber fleet size target ‘probably’ needs to be reassessed: Air Force Global Strike chief, Michael Marrow, Dec 6, 2024
• US Unable to Operate Modified B-52s Before 2033, Sergey Lebedev, Sputnik International, Oct 25, 2024
• F-35: $2T in 'generational wealth' the military had no right to spend, Dan Grazier & Lucas Ruiz, Responsible Statecraft, Aug 21, 2024
• Air Force says restoring nukes on some B-52s would cost $4.5 million, Defense News, Aug 2, 2024
• Marines hit operational status with second carrier-capable F35-C unit, Defense News, Jul 31, 2024
• NORAD jets intercept 4 Russian and Chinese bombers off Alaska coast, Stars and Stripes, Jul 25, 2024
• The Air Force Keeps Pulling Old B-1B Lancer Bombers from the 'Boneyard', The National Interest, Jul 24, 2024
• Another B-1 Back from the Boneyard: Air Force Regenerating Second Lancer in Four Months, Air & Space Forces Magazine, Jul 24, 2024
• Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress, Congressional Research Service, Jul 23, 2024
• B-21 Raider Bomber: The Air Force's Ultimate Flying Machine Has Arrived, The National Interest, Jul 23, 2024
• B-21 Raider Bomber Only Has 1 Enemy (Not Russia or China), The National Interest, Jul 22, 2024
• 2024 World Air Forces directory, Flight Global, Jul 2024
• Pentagon still withholding F-35 payments to Lockheed over upgrade delays, Breaking Defense, Jul 20, 2024
• Air Force strikes deal with Boeing for E-7 Wedgetail, Breaking Defense, Jul 20, 2024

F-35 fighter jet

• Pentagon resumes accepting F-35 deliveries with TR-3 upgrade, Breaking Defense, Jul 19, 2024
• The B-21 Raider Has One Problem the Air Force Can't Easily Fix, The National Interest, Jun 25, 2024
• The price of each B-21 bomber is likely going up, Defense One, Jun 24, 2024
• Air Force to Make First of 13 HACM Hypersonic Tests This Fall, Air & Space Forces Magazine, Jun 24,2024
• ‘Late-to-the-Party Suicide Drill’: Ex-DoD Analyst Derides Bid to Upgrade Outdated B-52s With Nukes, Sputnik International, Jun 23, 2024
• Congress wants to restore nukes on conventional B-52 bombers, Defense News, Jun 18, 2024
• Senators Want to Block F-22 and F-15E Retirements, Require Study on Air Superiority, Air and Space Forces Magazine, Jun 14, 2024
• B-21 Exempt from LRIP Limitation, DoD Says, Exchange Monitor, Jun 7, 2024
• B-52 Stratofortress: The 'Old' Bomber the U.S. Air Force Can't Retire, The National Interest, May 23, 2024
• US to build new ‘doomsday plane’, RT, Apr 27, 2024
• LRSO Nuclear Missile’s Development Extended, Funding Deferred, Air & Space Forces Magazine, Mar 23, 2024
• While USSF Budget Dips, Funds for New Nuclear Command and Control Satellites Jump, Air & Space Forces Magazine, Mar 18, 2024
• 70 Percent or More of F-35s May Not Be Combat Capable, Mike Fredenburg, The Epoch Times, Mar 15, 2024
• The new B-52: How the Air Force is prepping to fly century-old bombers, DefenseNews, Feb 12, 2024

B52-H Stratofortress

• Mass production of B61-12, W88 Alt 370 at halfway point, Exchange Monitor, Jan 12, 2024
• NNSA reaches halfway mark for production of B61-12 and W88 warheads, Exchange Monitor, Jan 5, 2024

2022
• House appropriations bill would approve $21B for NNSA in 2023, keep B83 alive, kill SLCM-N, Exchange Monitor, Jun 29, 2022

2016
• NNSA Has a New Approach to Managing the B61-12 Life Extension, but a Constrained Schedule and Other Risks Remain, GAO, Feb 2016

SEA

• Sub-launched nuclear cruise missile will need ‘an entirely new industrial base,’ warns Navy admiral, Sydney J. Freedberg Jr, Breaking Defense, Nov 15, 2024
• US Navy's new submarines are 'in crisis' as costs balloon by $17 billion, lawmaker says, Chris Panella, Business Insider, Sep 20, 2024
• An unusual announcement about a US Navy submarine packed with cruise missiles is a loud message that puts Iran on notice, Business Insider, Aug 14, 2024
• US Navy’s warship production is in its worst state in 25 years. What’s behind it?, Stars and Stripes, Aug 11, 2024
• US needs more nuclear subs, mobile ICBMs and tactical nukes: Heritage report, Breaking Defense, Jul 30, 2024
• Report to Congress on SSN(X) Next-Generation Attack Submarine, USNI News, Jul 25, 2024
• Ford-Class: The U.S. Navy's New Aircraft Carrier Is Way Too Expensive, The National Interest, Jul 25, 2024

Sea-launched cruise missile

• Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress, Congressional Research Service, Jul 24, 2024
• Navy Columbia (SSBN-826) Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program: Background and Issues for Congress, Congressional Research Service, Jul 23, 2024
• Columbia-Class: The U.S. Navy's $347,000,000 Missile Submarines Has Problems, The National Interest, Jul 3, 2024
• The U.S. Navy's New Columbia-Class Missile Submarine Has a Problem, National Interest, Jun 24, 2024
• A Very 'Limited' Nuclear Attack? MIT Professor Ted Postol explains, Daniel Davis / Deep Dive, (includes slides on the Russian Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo), Mar 24, 2024
• Sea-launched cruise missile is NNSA unfunded priority; warhead other than W80-4 possible; Savannah River taking half of W93’s pits, Exchange Monitor, Apr 19, 2024
• The U.S. Navy's Columbia-Class Submarine Nightmare Is Just Getting Started, The National Interest, Apr 11, 2024
• STRATCOM head embraces nuclear sea-launched cruise missile as modernization must, Exchange Monitor, Feb 29, 2024
• STRATCOM Promises Senate No Gap in Ballistic Missile Submarine Coverage, USNI News, Feb 29, 2024

Columbia Class Ballistic Missile Submarine

2022
• Bipartisan votes in annual defense-spending debate save sea-launched nuke, boost pits by lots, Exchange Monitor, Jun 23, 2022

2020
• STRATCOM Commander ‘Proud’ of W93, Won’t Say Much Else About It, Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor, Feb 28, 2020

ALL

• "Invest" in New Nuclear Weapons? Not for Us, William J. Astore and Matthew Hoh, LAProgressive, Dec 19, 2024
• STRATCOM commander says unclassified nuke report preps for complex environment and not ‘Cold War 2.0’, Exchange Monitor, Nov 22, 2024
• The World Has a New Most Powerful Supercomputer. It’s Going to Build Nukes, Todd Feathers, Gizmodo, Nov 18, 2024
• Why America Can’t Afford a New Nuclear Buildup, William Hartung, Forbes, Nov 11, 2024
• CNS submitted new rebaseline for UPF, project manager says, Sarah Salem, Exchange Monitor, Nov 1, 2024
• Y-12 uranium facility delayed to 2030s, costs rise to $10B for national security priority, Daniel Dassow, Knoxville News Sentinel, Nov 1, 2024
• Washington’s Nuclear Delusions, James W. Carden, The American Conservative, Oct 4, 2024
• The Criminality of Nuclear Deterrence Today, Francis Boyle, Oct 2024
• RAND’s Grand Plan, James W. Carden, The American Conservative, Sep 26, 2024
• Interview with authors Annie Jacobsen, Nuclear War: A Scenario, and Steven Starr, Nuclear High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse, TUC Radio, Sep 24, 2024
• Plutonium Modernization Spending, Actual, Proposed, and Estimated by Site and Fiscal Year, LASG, Sep 24, 2024
• China will not stop at “nuclear parity,” and Russia may follow, Air Force deputy chief of staff says, Exchange Monitor, Sep 20, 2024
• U.S. without strategy for two nuclear peers, STRATCOM commander says, Exchange Monitor, Sep 20, 2024
• How to Make a ‘War Reserve’ Nuclear Bomb, Jim Carrier, The Progressive Magazine, Sep 5, 2024
• A ramp-up in nuclear weapons is not always a bad thing, Rose Gottemoeller, Financial Times, Sep 4, 2024
• US arms advantage over Russia and China threatens stability, experts warn, Dan Sabbach, The Guardian, Sep 4, 2024
• SCOTT RITTER: On a Highway to Hell, Consortium News, Sep 1, 2024
• President Biden reportedly approved new nuclear strategy tailored for China, Exchange Monitor, Aug 30, 2024
• Biden's 'new' nuclear strategy and the super-fuse that sets it off, Theodore Postol, Responsible Statecraft, Aug 29, 2024
• China ‘gravely concerned’ by reported US nuclear strategy shift, Brad Dress, The Hill, Aug 22, 2024
• Biden Approved Nuclear Strategy To Prepare for Nuclear War With Russia, China, and North Korea, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com, Aug 20, 2024
• America prepares for a new nuclear-arms race, The Economist, Aug 12, 2024
• World-Ending Maneuvers? Inside the Nuclear-Weapons Lobby Today, naked capitalism, Aug 8, 2024
• 2 renowned strategists say the US should defend Taiwan with nuclear strikes. Experts say such talk is just a taste of what's to come, Business Insider, Aug 1, 2024
• SAC passes $852B defense bill, adding $21B and teeing up budget fight, Breaking Defense, Aug 1, 2024
• DoD ‘exploring’ options for nuclear buildup as part of strategic review, Breaking Defense, Aug 1, 2024
• "Nuclear Threats and the Role of Allies": Remarks by Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Dr. Vipin Narang at CSIS, US Department of Defense, Aug 1, 2024
• A Nuclear Posture Review for the Next Administration: Building the Nuclear Arsenal of the 21st Century, The Heritage Foundation, Jul 30, 2024
• Putin warns US of Cold War-style crisis if missiles deployed to Germany, Aljazeera, Jul 28, 2024
• US declassifies nuclear stockpile data, RT, Jul 20, 2024
• Defense Primer: Strategic Nuclear Forces, Congressional Research Service, Jul 19, 2024
• Weapon Systems Annual Assessment: DOD Is Not Yet Well-Positioned to Field Systems with Speed, (revised), GAO, Jul 18, 2024
• Current Defense Plans Require Unsustainable Future Spending, Stimson, Jul 16, 2024
• Sentinel, pit production, and a bit more; Why the US is losing the new arms race it started, LASG seminar slides, (video here) Jul 15, 2024
• KCNSC begins first phase of $6.4 billion project with $199 million construction deal, Exchange Monitor, Jul 12, 2024
• Keir Starmer’s Red Button, Consortium News, Jul 6, 2024
• GAO: Modernization Programs & Projects, Jul 2024
• GAO: Weapon Systems Annual Assessment, Jun 2024
• ‘Generational’ defense pitch has nuclear-weapons policy, force changes, more NNSA funding, Exchange Monitor, May 31, 2024
• Unprotected: Troops Spent Decades Elbow-Deep in Dangerous Chemicals to Keep Nuclear Missiles Working, Thomas Novelly, Military.com, May 30, 2024
• How US is Flirting With Idea of 'Limited' Nuclear Conflict With Russia and China, Ekaterina Blinova, Sputnik International, May 29, 2024
• United States nuclear weapons, 2024, Hans M. Kristensen, et.al., May 6, 2024
• Senators push to update nuclear military might in defense bill, Defense News, Apr 26, 2024
• Pentagon weighs options to lengthen life of legacy nuclear platforms as new programs face delays, Valerie Insinna, Breaking Defense, Apr 5, 2024
• America's Nuclear Arsenal Could Be Approaching Its Weakest Point, Newsweek, Mar 29, 2024
• UK to test new ‘Astraea’ nuclear warheads without detonation, Interesting Engineering, Mar 26, 2024
• Julia Gledhill and William Hartung: Failure as the Pentagon's Ultimate Success Story, TomDispatch, Mar 26, 2024
• Details of Russia’s nuclear modernization are inconsistent with warnings of vast nuclear expansion, Federation of American Scientists, Mar 11, 2024
• Bracing for impact: America’s nuclear modernization takes a local toll, The Hill, Mar 7, 2024
• Nuclear weapons are expensive, but how much is too much?, The Hill, Mar 1, 2024
• Pentagon Industrial Strategy Asks Taxpayers to Pay for Permanent War Footing, Taxpayers for Common Sense, Jan 25, 2024
• Three Dangerous Cold War Myths About Nuclear Policy, The National Interest, Jan 23, 2024
• America’s Ossified Nuclear Infrastructure Needs an Overhaul—Now, The Heritage Foundation, Jan 22, 2024

2023
• Dems want cost estimates Congress didn't ask for in nuke modernization report, Exchange Monitor, Nov 17, 2023
• America's Strategic Posture: The Final Report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, Oct 2023
• Birthplace of the atomic bomb braces for its biggest mission since the top-secret Manhattan Project, Associated Press, Sep 23, 2023
• Livermore's Bauer to lead new 'blueprint' to revamp NNSA enterprise, Exchange Monitor, Sep 1, 2023
• GAO: Assessments of Major Projects, GAO-23-104402, Aug 2023
• Oppenheimer: The Real Plan for U.S. Nuclear Domination, Then and Now, Brian Becker, BreakThroughNews, Jul 27, 2023
• CovertAction Bulletin: “The Past Is Not Past” – Oppenheimer and the U.S. Nuclear Program Today, Covert Action Magazine, Jul 26, 2023
• Sluggish plutonium-pit production tells allies and adversaries U.S. nuke modernization 'not important,' expert says, Exchange Monitor, May 26, 2023
• US nuclear weapons modernization plan spurs cost questions, Associated Press, Apr 26, 2023
• Labor shortage outlasts COVID, delays nuclear-weapons infrastructure, NNSA administrator says, Exchange Monitor, Mar 31, 2023
• NNSA Does Not Have a Comprehensive Schedule or Cost Estimate for Pit Production Capability, GAO, Jan 2023
• US nuclear agency falls short on scheduling, cost estimates, Associated Press, Jan 12, 2023
• $10 Trillion for Nuclear War: Racing to the Nuclear Cliff, The Socialist Program with Brian Becker, Jan 10, 2023
• US Nuclear Deterrent Jeopardized by Weak Infrastructure, NewsMax, Jan 5, 2023

2022
• NNSA report calls for reform of management and ops contracts; says parents cos. of site management teams of little help, Exchange Monitor, Oct 28, 2022
• Demand boom predicted for glove boxes in coming years, Exchange Monitor, Oct 7, 2022
• NNSA Evolving the Nuclear Security Enterprise, Sep 2022
• The Huge Gap Between How Serious Nuclear War Is And How Seriously It’s Being Taken, caitlanjohnstone.com, Mar 16, 2022
• Nuclear expert speaks on the dangers of war between the US and Russia, World Socialist Web Site, Mar 15, 2022

2021
• Senators eye NNSA plans for waste disposal as nuke modernization continues, Aiken Standard, Sep 23, 2021
• Jill Hruby holds first all-hands meeting and outlines initiatives and priorities, NNSA, Aug 2, 2021
• The Nuclear Weapons Council is worried about Biden’s spending. So are activists., Aiken Standard, Jul 31, 2021
• NNSA Should Use Portfolio Management Leading Practices to Support Modernization Efforts, GAO, Jun 2021
• US officials double down on push for nuclear modernization, Associated Press, Jun 25, 2021
• Time To Stop Modernizing America’s Nukes And To Start Negotiating Peace – OpEd, EurasiaReview, Dave Lindorff, Jun 23, 2021
• Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center virtual forum on Modernizing the US Strategic Nuclear Deterrent, Jun 22, 2021
• Senators Mostly Unmoved by Disarmament Arguments, but King Curious About Sole Launch Authority, Exchange Monitor, Jun 17, 2021
• $20B Biden NNSA Budget Whacks Weapon Activities, Compared With Trump Forecast, Exchange Monitor, May 28, 2021
• Biden proposes $1 billion for nuclear weapons work, Santa Fe New Mexican, May 28, 2021
• Estimated Cost of US Nuclear Modernization Jumps During More Expensive Phase, Defense One, May 24, 2021
• Projected Costs of U.S. Nuclear Forces, 2021 to 2030, Congressional Budget Office, May 24, 2021 Supplemental data; Underlying tables
• Rep. Wilson, others urge Biden to invest in nuke modernization and pit production, Aiken Standard, Mar 25, 2021
• US, Russia Can Seek Missile Defense INF Limits After New START Deal - Arms, UrduPoint, Feb 6, 2021

2020
• Nuclear Weapons: We can Agree to ... Agree, Politico, Aug 11, 2020
• UK lobbies US to support controversial new nuclear warheads, The Guardian, Aug 1, 2020
• Nuclear Delivery Systems Sustainment & Modernization Overview, Hon Alan R. Shaffer, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment, Nuclear Deterrence Summit, Feb 13, 2020
• Wilson, Graham, Scott pressed Trump for more nuclear funding, letters show, Aiken Standard, Feb 13, 2020
• Trump proposes 25 percent bump in nuke spending, Santa Fe New Mexican, Feb 10, 2020
• Trump seeks $46 billion for nuclear weapons programs in budget request, Defense News, Feb 10, 2020
• Trump to request 20 percent boost in nuclear spending, Santa Fe New Mexican, Jan 30, 2020
• An Unanswered Question at the Heart of the U.S.’s Nuclear Arsenal, Scientific American, Jan 28, 2020
• Lawmakers assured review of nuclear weapons work to be open, Associated Press, Jan 22, 2020
• NNSA Chief Details Uphill Slog to Nuclear Modernization, Air Force Magazine, Jan 16, 2020

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