Modernizing nuclear Arsenal will cost US $1.2 trillion

Modernizing nuclear Arsenal will cost US $1.2 trillion

According to the report released Tuesday by the congressional Budget office, the modernization and maintenance, as well as providing storage of US nuclear Arsenal over the next 30 years will cost the country more than 1.2 trillion dollars.

The report States that the current plans to upgrade older aircraft, submarines and rockets that make up the U.S. nuclear Arsenal, will cost 50% more annually than if the United States worked in this direction in the normal mode.

Modernizing nuclear Arsenal will cost US $1.2 trillion

President Donald trump in January, instructed the Minister of defence James Mattis to conduct its own review of US nuclear forces. The results should be published in the coming months.

But we already know that in the next 30 years, the U.S. defense Department plans to replace all available class submarine Ohioequipped with missiles Trident II. Now they are in the U.S. there are 14. The oldest submarine was commissioned in 1983.

In addition, the defense Ministry intends to purchase bomber B-21under development for $ 550 million. It is also planned to replace the ICBM Minuteman III, adopted in the United States about 50 years ago.

Unexpected large waste on nuclear weapons caused a wave of criticism among politicians and experts. The representative of the UN Committee on the armed forces, Adam Smith, Democrat from Washington, said, «Congress, apparently, there are no answers on how we will pay for this program or that compromises will have to go to other areas of national security.»

The report States that the cost will increase from $ 29 billion in 2017 to $ 47 billion in 2027, and eventually will reach $ 50 billion per year by 2030.

U.S. officials also noted that nuclear modernization the United States lags behind from the modernization of the Russian nuclear triad.

General Paul Selva, Vice Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told Congress in August that, in his opinion, Moscow has passed two-thirds of the way to complete nuclear modernization.

Source