BY DAVID NORTH
White Rock

Due to massive cost overruns, the Sentinel land-based ICBM program will be delayed at least several years, according to a Department of Defense news release dated July 8 of this year.

Sentinel is the first scheduled use for the new pits, according to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center’s LGM-35A Sentinel Fact Sheet. Shifting use of the pits to air or naval may be possible, but there does not appear to be any current plan along those lines.

The cost overrun is currently estimated to be 81%, according to a review led by Dr. William A. LaPlante. The report was triggered by a Nunn-McCurdy breach, when a program is expected to exceed its original cost by 25% or more.

Cost reductions are expected, which will require submission of a new plan for the program. That is the ultimate cause for the expected delay.

However, costs will still probably run over, probably leading to cuts in other programs, though there is yet nothing specific on either subject. There is no expectation at this time that the program will be discontinued. “…the Sentinel program remains essential to U.S. national security and is the best option to meet the needs of our warfighters,” according to the release.

The costs for the various other programs are also increasing, and it’s not known if Sentinel could ever be cut entirely.

The DOD release can be seen at: https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3829985/

The USAF Fact Sheet: https://www.afgsc.af.mil/Portals/51/Docs/Sentinel/LGM-35A%20Sentinel%20Fact%20Sheet%20cao%206%20Apr.pdf