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1 1 (November 10, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdclv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: d ~ November 10, 2020 Defense Primer: Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) Capabilities Source: Mark Gunzinger, Carl Rehberg, and Gillian Evans, Sustaining the US Nuclear Deterrent: The LRSO and GBSD, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. a.. .,,,,,:ca.. .\.. \ .m ok ::c3; n:: 'm. In contrast with MMIII missiles, the GBSD employs a modular design and open architecture, allowing for the replacement of aging and outdated components. According to the Air Force, this modular approach would reduce the lifecycle cost of GBSD and provide flexibility for improvements throughout the life of the weapon system. Unlike in many current DOD systems, open systems architectures allow the Air Force to control the intellectual property of the system, including the system's source code. This allows multiple vendors, in addition to the contract winner Northrop Grumman, to compete for and complete future upgrades and improvements to the system. These types of upgrades might become important as technology evolves and could allow for improvements in the safety and reliability of the missile system. They could include better guidance systems or new types of countermeasures that 'Status, of Mmnu,-M,,,n MMIII first entered service around 1970 and has undergone several life extension programs over the past 50 years, the most recent of which occurred in the late 2000s and included a replacement booster and missile guidance computer. In the next decade, both of these components may face reliability concerns as they reach the end of their intended lifespan, known as aging out, as indicated in Figure 2. A 2016 Pentagon study recommended replacing MMIII rather than conducting another life extension. The study concluded that the replacement system (GBSD) would meet current and expected threats, maintain the industrial base, insert more reliable technology, produce a modular weapon system concept, and reduce life cycle cost. Figure 2. Projected Decrease in Operational Minuteman III Missiles ----------- -------------- Figure I. Notional GBSD Launch Source: https://www.northropgrumman.com/GBSD/ On September 8, 2020, the United States Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $13.3 billion contract to develop a new nuclear missile, the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), intended to replace the 50-year old Minuteman III (MMIII) Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). (For details on the U. S. nuclear force structure, see CRS Report FL33640, U.S Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues, by Amy Woolf.) MMIII has been deployed as the ground-based leg of the U.S. nuclear forces structure (the Triad) since 1970. The Air Force expects GBSD to begin replacing MMIII in 2029. As the missile moves toward production and deployment, issues for Congress include whether to authorize and appropriate funding for this program and, if so, to provide oversight as the program progresses and is implemented. whant Is An §,CBM' According to the Department of Defense (DOD), an ICBM is a missile that has a minimum range of 5,500 km, or roughly 3,400 miles. Although some countries use road or rail mobile launchers for their ICBMs, U.S. ICBMs are silo based; they are buried in protective launch facilities in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. An ICBM can hit its target on another continent in approximately 30 minutes. During the first three minutes, the missiles flight is powered by its three-stage solid fuel motors. After the powered portion of flight, it follows a ballistic trajectory toward its target, on a parabolic trajectory. Once the President authorizes the launch of a missile, it cannot be recalled or destroyed in flight. The same is true for nuclear missiles launched from U. S. submarines. In contrast, U.S. bombers could return to their bases after launch, without releasing their weapons, although the weapons could not be recalled after their release from the bomber. \n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\ \\\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \\ \ \ Q\\ \\\ \\\

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