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1 1 (December 2, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govejpq0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service informing the legislative debate since 1914 0 Updated December 2, 2022 Defense Primer: Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) The Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD)-recently designated the LGM-35A Sentinel missile-is expected to replace the Minuteman III (MMIII) Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in the U.S. nuclear force structure. MMIII has served 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 the Sentinel (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 program in its FY2023 budget request and endorsed the program in its Nuclear Posture Review, which says Sentinel will replace the IVMMVIII missiles one-for-one to maintain 400 ICBMs on alert. It also says the Sentinel will field the W87-O/Mk2l and W87-1/Mk21A warheads and aeroshells. The Air Force plans to acquire 642 missiles to support testing and the deployment of a force of 400 missiles. The Air Force expects the program to reach its initial operational capacity, with nine missiles on alert, by 2029; it expects to complete the deployment in 2036. The Senate version of the FY2023 NDAA would prohibit any reduction in alert levels or reduction of the quantity of deployed ICBMs below 400 total. What Is an nC M The United States began deploying nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles in 1959, and has maintained these systems on alert, able to launch promptly since that time. These missiles have been tested to a range greater than 5,500 kin, 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 tree 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. Statu s ofm, Miuean I 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 tings, a replacement booster and a new missile guidance computer. The Air Force has noted that bot of these components may face reliability concerns as they reach the end of their intended lifespans over the next decade (see Figure 1). 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 treats, maintain the industrial base, insert more reliable technology, produce a modular weapon system concept, and reduce life cycle cost. Figure I. Projected Decrease in Operational Minuteman Ill Missiles Source: Mark Gunzinger, Carl Rehberg, and Gillian Evans, Sustaining the U.S. Nuclear Deterrent: The LRSO and GBSD, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. In contrast wit MMIII missiles, the GBSD (Sentinel) will use 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 and provide flexibility for improvements throughout the life of the weapon system. 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

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