The BDN Opinion section collaborates independently and does not set news policies or aid in reporting or editing elsewhere in the newspaper. William D. Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, recently criticized the Pentagon’s costly plan to develop new nuclear-armed missiles, bombers, and submarines.
With a budget of over $2 trillion for the next thirty years, the plan includes building a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) known as the Sentinel. Concerns have been raised about the dangers of ICBMs, specifically the risk of an accidental nuclear war due to the short timeframe to decide on launching them during a potential attack.
Despite the rising costs, the Pentagon decided to continue with the Sentinel program, ignoring options to cancel, delay, or restructure it under the Nunn-McCurdy Act. The decision is believed to be influenced by the profit motives of contractors like Northrop Grumman, backed by Congress members whose states benefit from ICBM bases and manufacturing facilities.
Advocates for the Sentinel argue that it creates jobs, but the number of jobs created is minimal compared to the overall workforce, and there are more effective ways to allocate the same funds to create jobs. The costs of the Sentinel program far outweigh the benefits, and it is suggested that the program be canceled to allocate resources to other pressing national needs, rather than letting special interests dictate the nation’s nuclear arsenal.
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