{"id":60132,"date":"2021-09-09T17:45:57","date_gmt":"2021-09-09T17:45:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:27:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:27:13","slug":"lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2015 Nuclear modernization opponents and defenders are gearing up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2021\/03\/22\/battle-over-nuclear-weapons-budget-already-underway\/\" target=\"_blank\">fight again<\/a> over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/nuclear-arsenal\/2021\/02\/05\/majority-of-voters-support-icbm-replacement-alternatives-new-poll-finds\/\" target=\"_blank\">next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile<\/a> and other efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2021\/05\/06\/more-than-130-house-lawmakers-push-to-ramp-up-f-35-buy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Rep. John Garamendi<\/a>, D-Calif., and a skeptic of nuclear spending on the House Armed Services Committee, confirmed he plans to offer nuclear-themed amendments when the annual defense bill receives House floor consideration later this month. One aims to pause the Air Force\u2019s nascent Ground Based Strategic Deterrent in favor of maintaining the missile it would replace, the Minuteman III; another would zero out funds for the GBSD\u2019s warhead, the W87-1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe bottom line is that we could pause the entire GBSD program and push forward into the future a $100 billion expense,\u201d Garamendi, who chairs the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee, told Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the Biden administration\u2019s Nuclear Posture Review due early next year, Garamendi said the amendments are part of his \u201cstrategy to raise the issues, to gather the data, test the arguments against the opposition &#8230; and create an occasional success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe amendments signal to the administration there is a level of support and concern about each of these nuclear issues,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the land-based missile, the stakes are high for Northrop Grumman, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2020\/09\/08\/northrop-wins-the-air-forces-contest-for-next-gen-icbms\/\" target=\"_blank\">received<\/a> a $13.3 billion contract last year to develop GBSD. Last month, Northrop executives cut the ribbon on a $1.4 billion facility in Colorado Springs dedicated to GBSD and other strategic weapons programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Northrop CEO Kathy Warden expressed confidence in the program during a July 29 earnings call, saying the program would continue to fuel the company\u2019s space segment and \u201ccontinue to grow into next year and 2023. So it has a long ramp, if you will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the W87-1, whose plutonium cores, or pits, are to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/acquisition\/2018\/05\/09\/us-officials-to-decide-future-of-nuclear-weapons-work\/\" target=\"_blank\">produced in part by the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility in South Carolina<\/a>, at stake are jobs and billions of federal dollars to upgrade buildings or construct new factories. It\u2019s all intertwined with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.exchangemonitor.com\/nnsa-cant-make-80-pit-production-deadline-acting-administrator-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">shaky<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/nuclear-arsenal\/2020\/05\/06\/us-must-move-ahead-with-work-on-nukes-says-nuclear-security-boss\/\" target=\"_blank\">plans<\/a> launched by the Trump administration to have Savannah River and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico produce a combined 80 pits per year by 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18201646711277.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-102151\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18201646711277.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18201646711277.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18201646711277.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This Aug. 1, 2007, file photo, shows construction crews are seen as they work on early stages of a new mixed oxide fuel, or MOX fabrication facility at the Savannah River nuclear complex near Aiken, S.C. The agency that oversees the nation\u2019s nuclear weapons stockpile would essentially be removed from direct oversight under a defense policy bill being negotiated in Congress. (Grace Beahm\/The Post And Courier via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The obstacles for Garamendi and likeminded Democrats are not only Republicans but centrist Democrats who have previously opposed plans to derail GBSD. Republicans renewed their defense of the program and the Savannah River site when Garamendi targeted them with amendments during HASC\u2019s markup of the defense authorization bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Skeptics have argued modernization plans are dangerously escalatory, exceed what\u2019s necessary for a credible nuclear deterrent and waste money that would be better spent on domestic programs. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/nuclear-arsenal\/2021\/03\/26\/a-new-bill-would-defund-new-icbms-to-pay-for-coronavirus-vaccine-research\/\" target=\"_blank\"> proposed a bill<\/a> earlier this year to divert $1 billion from the GBSD program to fight the coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Garamendi likes to point to the parochial politics in play, knocking GBSD as perhaps \u201cthe biggest jobs program in Wyoming\u201d (one of the states that hosts missile fields) and the Savannah River site as \u201cthe permanent jobs program for South Carolina.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He argued Los Alamos alone could produce the needed pits for GBSD and that the $11 billion cost to convert Savannah River into a pit plant is a waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Modernization\u2019s supporters are likely to highlight to the Defense Department\u2019s projection that extending the Minuteman III through 2075 would cost $38 billion more than developing the GBSD. Those supporters will also likely cite reports that China is expanding its own nuclear arsenal. Additionally, the proposed budget from the Biden administration itself fully funds <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2021\/04\/23\/lawmakers-dod-officials-joust-over-next-gen-icbm-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\">an upgrade<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latter group is already gathering ammunition for a possible floor fight to argue GBSD should continue apace. Reps. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2021\/05\/13\/cheney-republicans-have-a-red-line-on-bidens-defense-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\">Liz Cheney<\/a>, R-Wyo., and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2019\/04\/08\/rep-mike-turner-on-why-hes-softened-on-space-force-and-the-importance-of-an-east-coast-missile-defense-site\/\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Turner<\/a>, R-Ohio, together elicited a letter from the National Nuclear Security Administration affirming that even though Savannah River is five years off schedule, it won\u2019t harm W87-1 production for the GBSD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"7360\" height=\"4912\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210223-F-HP195-1001.jfif_.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210223-F-HP195-1001.jfif_.jpg 7360w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210223-F-HP195-1001.jfif_.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210223-F-HP195-1001.jfif_.jpg?resize=768,513 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210223-F-HP195-1001.jfif_.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210223-F-HP195-1001.jfif_.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/210223-F-HP195-1001.jfif_.jpg?resize=2048,1367 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 7360px) 100vw, 7360px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operation test at 11:49 p.m. PT Feb. 23, 2021, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. ICBM test launches demonstrate the U.S. nuclear enterprise is safe, secure, effective and ready to defend the United States and its allies. ICBMs provide the U.S. and its allies the necessary deterrent capability to maintain freedom to operate and navigate globally in accordance with international laws and norms. (U.S. Space Force photo by Brittany E. N. Murphy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2021\/05\/27\/biden-nuclear-nominee-would-continue-trump-era-plutonium-pit-production-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\">NNSA chief Jill Hruby<\/a> said in the Aug. 25 letter that it\u2019s \u201cstill achievable\u201d for Los Alamos to make 30 pits per year by 2026 \u2015 a \u201cconsiderable time margin\u201d before the first W87-1 is due to be produced in 2030. To boot, GBSD will initially use W87-0 warheads recycled from the 50-year-old Minuteman III.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHowever, it is acknowledged that this approach does carry risk in that any currently unanticipated, long-term disruptions to manufacturing at [Los Alamos] would impact W87-1 deliveries until the second pit manufacturing capability at the Savannah River Site becomes available,\u201d Hruby\u2019s letter read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans are banking on getting Democratic support of the sort that\u2019s materialized in the past. Last year in committee, Khanna\u2019s proposal to slash funding for GBSD was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2020\/07\/01\/next-gen-icbm-program-survives-defunding-attempt-in-house-panel\/\" target=\"_blank\">defeated<\/a> in a bipartisan 44-12 vote. And this year, Rep. Joe Wilson, who represents the Savannah River site\u2019s home district, pointed to the site\u2019s backing from neighboring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/transition\/2020\/12\/07\/report-biden-picks-lloyd-austin-retired-army-general-as-defense-secretary\/\" target=\"_blank\">Rep. Jim Clyburn<\/a>, who is the House\u2019s No. 3 Democrat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m really grateful that I actually represent the Savannah River site along with my colleague Congressman Jim Clyburn, who was a strong supporter of plutonium production at the Savannah River site,\u201d Wilson said during a debate with Garamendi at the HASC markup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe two-site solution for plutonium pit production has had bipartisan support,\u201d Wilson added. \u201cNuclear modernization has been supported across the last three administrations, including the Biden administration, and the prior two. Not a single Biden administration official has come out against the two-sites for plutonium pit production.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans \u2014 who are currently waging a fight to regain control of the House \u2014 see Garamendi\u2019s potential amendments as an opening to portray Democrats in Republican-leaning districts as weak on China, a Republican staffer said, adding: \u201cHe\u2019s putting many of his caucus in a bad spot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For his part, Garamendi acknowledged the Democrat-run Rules Committee, which is set to screen proposed amendments to the defense bill later this month, might seek to avoid the tricky politics involved and end up blocking his from floor consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOf course that\u2019s a possibility. In fact, it\u2019s a probability,\u201d Garamendi said. \u201cI\u2019m in the process of trying to educate as many members of Congress as I possibly can about the nuclear arms that we are pursuing at a cost of at least $200 billion a year, and it\u2019s extraordinarily dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Assuming full-chamber passage later this month, the defense authorization bill will head to negotiations with the Senate. That work typically takes place during the congressional summer recess, but the administration\u2019s late submission of its federal budget proposal pushed it back several months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The authorization bill has managed to withstand partisan infighting and pass out of Congress annually for more than five decades. Extending that streak this year will require a legislative rush to craft a final bill sometime this fall, alongside other nonmilitary budget and policy priorities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nuclear modernization opponents and defenders are gearing up to fight again this year over the future ICBM and other efforts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":59544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"4":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"}}},"categories":[44,8,160,36,125,30],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3446],"class_list":["post-60132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-budget","category-congress","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters","category-nuclear-triad","category-smr"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"A3BP32UJOVFVZDPDS74RVMO76U","arc_canonical_url":"\/congress\/budget\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nuclear modernization opponents and defenders are gearing up to fight again this year over the future ICBM and other efforts.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nuclear modernization opponents and defenders are gearing up to fight again this year over the future ICBM and other efforts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-09T17:45:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T00:27:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joe Gould\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joe Gould\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-09-09T17:45:57+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:27:13+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1279,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6609923.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Budget\",\n\t                \"Congress\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Nuclear Triad\",\n\t                \"Special Multimedia Reports\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6609923.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-09-09T17:45:57+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:27:13+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Nuclear modernization opponents and defenders are gearing up to fight again this year over the future ICBM and other efforts.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6609923.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6609923.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/09\\\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Congress\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/congress\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"congress\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile - Defense News","description":"Nuclear modernization opponents and defenders are gearing up to fight again this year over the future ICBM and other efforts.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile","og_description":"Nuclear modernization opponents and defenders are gearing up to fight again this year over the future ICBM and other efforts.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2021-09-09T17:45:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T00:27:13+00:00","author":"Joe Gould","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joe Gould","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile","datePublished":"2021-09-09T17:45:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:27:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/"},"wordCount":1279,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6609923.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Budget","Congress","Daily News Roundup","Newsletters","Nuclear Triad","Special Multimedia Reports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/","name":"Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6609923.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-09-09T17:45:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:27:13+00:00","description":"Nuclear modernization opponents and defenders are gearing up to fight again this year over the future ICBM and other efforts.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6609923.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6609923.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/09\/lawmakers-set-for-battle-over-next-gen-nuclear-missile\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Congress","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/","ad_zone":"congress"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6609923.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60132"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60140,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60132\/revisions\/60140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60132"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=60132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}