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1 1 (March 29, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govehso0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service informing the legislative debate since 1914 0 Updated March 29, 2022 Defense Primer: Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) Capabilities Figure I. Notional GBSD Launch Source: https://www.northropgrumman.com/GBSD/. The Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) is intended to replace the Minuteman III (MMIII) Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in the U.S. nuclear force structure. MMIII has been deployed as the ground-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad-land-based ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and nuclear-capable bombers-since 1970. (For details, see CRS Report RL33640, U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues, by Amy F. Woolf.) The Air Force expects GBSD to begin replacing MMIII in 2029. Although some in Congress and outside government have debated whether to continue the program, the Biden Administration has included $3.6 billion for the GBSD in its FY2023 budget request and is expected to endorse the program in its Nuclear Posture Review. What Is an ICBM? The United States began deploying nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles in 1959, and it has maintained these systems on alert in a position to launch promptly since that time. Missiles designated as ICBMs are those that have been tested to a range greater than 5,500 km, or roughly 3,400 miles. Although some countries use road or rail mobile launchers for their ICBMs, U.S. ICBMs are based in hardened concrete silos, known as launch facilities, located in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. An ICBM can reach targets around the globe in approximately 30 minutes after launch. During the first three minutes, the missile's flight is powered by three solid fuel rocket motors. After the powered portion of flight, the missile follows a parabolic trajectory toward its target. It releases its warhead during the mid-course portion of its flight, and the warhead continues to the target. Once the President authorizes the launch of any U.S. nuclear-armed 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. Status of Minuteman 1ll The U.S. Air Force first deployed Minuteman ICBMs in the 1960s. Minuteman III, the first of the class to carry multiple warheads, entered the force in the early 1970s. The Air Force has replaced and updated many of the component systems on the missile-a process known as life- extension-several times over the past 50 years. The most recent life-extension program occurred in the late 2000s and included, among other things, a replacement booster and a new missile guidance computer. The Air Force has noted that both of these components may face reliability concerns as they reach the end of their intended lifespans over the next decade (see Figure 2). After conducting a comprehensive Analysis of Alternatives (AOA) in 2014, the Air Force determined that it would replace MMIII with a new missile system. When compared with a life-extended Minuteman III, the replacement system (the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, 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 Cornients ags Out Source: Mark Gunzinger, Carl Rehberg, and Gillian Evans, Sustaining the U.S. Nuclear Deterrent: The LRSO and GBSD, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Capabilities of G BSD Moduarity: What Is It and Why Is It Irportant in Lowering Lifecycle Costs' 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

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