WASHINGTON \u2014 Estimates for the cost of America\u2019s nuclear warheads have gone up in the last year, as the government prepares to develop and maintain as many as nine new systems in the next 25 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Nuclear Security Administration\u2019s fiscal 2019 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan, released Thursday<\/a> lays out the investments that could be needed for the NNSA over the next two and a half decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NNSA is a semiautonomous department<\/a> within the Department of Energy. While the Defense Department manages the delivery systems of the nuclear force \u2014 ships, planes and missiles \u2014 NNSA oversees the development, maintenance and disposal of nuclear warheads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, NNSA costs are not just about the warheads, as requirements range from upgrading aging infrastructure<\/a>, to increasing the production of plutonium pits, to securing facilities<\/a>. The agency expects capital investments during this period could require spending between $61.1 billion and $90.7 billion, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the overall cost of replacing America\u2019s nuclear arsenal will be much higher<\/a> when factoring in the development of new cruise missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles and bomber aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\t