{"id":15624,"date":"2021-05-03T15:10:22","date_gmt":"2021-05-03T15:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/05\/03\/strategic-forces-chair-not-fully-convinced-on-icbm-modernization\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:30:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:30:02","slug":"strategic-forces-chair-not-fully-convinced-on-icbm-modernization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/05\/03\/strategic-forces-chair-not-fully-convinced-on-icbm-modernization\/","title":{"rendered":"Strategic Forces chair \u2018not fully convinced\u2019 on ICBM modernization"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 A top lawmaker on nuclear weapons<\/a> is \u201cconvinced, but not fully convinced\u201d on the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent<\/a>, a hot-button<\/a> program to modernize intercontinental ballistic missiles, as he heads into defense budget and policy talks in Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Angus King, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee\u2019s Strategic Forces Subcommittee, said he wants more information about extending the life of the 400 Minuteman III missiles the GBSD would replace. Arms control advocates and some Democrats<\/a> have targeted the $1 billion GBSD program, pointing to its cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would say that I\u2019m convinced, but not fully convinced,\u201d King, I-Maine, told reporters Saturday after leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. \u201cThe other question I\u2019m going to be pursuing is what\u2019s the cost of the life extension for another 40 or 50 years versus a new technology for that same period. I won\u2019t be surprised if the costs are pretty similar, or perhaps even if the new technology is cheaper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

King, who caucuses with Democrats, is one of a handful of moderates whose views would be crucial in the debate over GBSD. Another is Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Jon Tester<\/a>, D-Mont., who vowed in recent public remarks to ensure GBSD \u201cstays on track.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some modernization advocates are concerned Congress may opt to cut GBSD\u2019s budget for fiscal 2022 as a compromise path ahead of the Biden administration\u2019s far-reaching nuclear posture review. King acknowledged next year\u2019s funding levels are open to debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s the most immediate question facing us. And it was one of the questions that I was seeking answers to on this trip,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t