Staff Reports
The Pentagon is in hot water over the skyrocketing costs of building replacement nuclear missiles. According to reports, inflation and other issues have caused the price tag for the highly secretive Sentinel missile program to shoot up by 37%. And who’s to blame? Well, you guessed it – the COVID-19 pandemic, poor budgeting procedures, and those pesky supply chain problems. It seems like everything is going wrong these days, doesn’t it?
Now, Congress and the Department of Defense are scrambling to review the program and decide if it’s worth the extra dough. But let’s be real here, folks. Cancelling the program? That’s just not an option. We need Sentinel. It’s absolutely necessary for our nuclear deterrent. We can’t let those missile-happy countries get the upper hand!
Inflation Skyrocketed Cost For Nuclear Missile Upgrades, Pentagon Warns | The Daily Caller https://t.co/iylHiaryHi
— Fearless45 (@Fearless45Trump) January 19, 2024
Republican Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, agrees. He’s committed to overseeing the program and making sure the Air Force gets its act together. He even said so in an email, so you know he means business.
But hold on to your hats, because things are about to get even more expensive. The estimated cost for Sentinel has skyrocketed from $95.3 billion to over $125 billion. That’s a lot of zeros, folks. And a cost overrun of more than 30% is considered “critical.” Sounds like termination territory to me. But fear not, Lloyd Austin is here to save the day. He’s expected to certify that there’s no other alternative. Phew, crisis averted.
The plan was to have these new and improved Minuteman silos up and running by 2029. But surprise, surprise – problems with the silos and communication systems have set the whole program back. Silos and launch control facilities are turning out to be much bigger and more expensive than anticipated. Oops, someone forgot to crunch the numbers.
So, what does all this mean for the budget? Well, brace yourselves. Those cost overruns are going to cause some major changes. Both the Sentinel and Minuteman sides are going to see some serious budget adjustments. Who’s going to foot the bill? You guessed it – the taxpayers. Get ready to tighten those belts, folks.
But let’s not forget the bigger picture here. Russia and China are playing with their nuclear toys, and we can’t afford to be left behind. We need to make sure our main deterrent against a nuclear attack is up to snuff. Our ability to threaten a devastating second strike is on the line, people. This is serious business.
And it’s not just the replacement missiles that need upgrading. We’ve got new submarines, improved communication systems, and even a fancy new nuclear bomber on the agenda. These are exciting times, my friends. Sure, it’s going to cost us a pretty penny, but isn’t the safety and security of our great nation worth it?
So, strap in and get ready for some sticker shock. The price tag for our nuclear upgrade just got a whole lot bigger. But hey, at least we can rest easy knowing that our nuclear deterrent is in tip-top shape. Now, where did we put that spare change?
