The Air Force’s new ICBM is nearly ready to fly, but there’s nowhere to put them

In Denver, military officials confirmed this week that the US Air Force's latest intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sentinel, is set for its inaugural test flight next year. However, significant questions remain regarding the timeline, costs, and infrastructure necessary to support the missile's deployment. The LGM-35A Sentinel is designed to replace the aging Minuteman III fleet, which has served since the 1970s. The first Sentinel missiles are expected to be operational by the early 2030s, but the complete establishment of the 450 missile silos required to house them will take considerably longer. Defense officials are currently exploring the missile's payload options. The recent expiration of the New START nuclear arms control treaty, which had restricted the Air Force's ability to equip missiles with Multiple Independently targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs), now opens up the possibility for each Sentinel missile to potentially carry multiple warheads. During a briefing at the Air and Space Forces Association’s annual Warfare Symposium, senior military leaders discussed the Sentinel program and its evolving budget. Initially projected at $77.7 billion, costs for the program have surged to nearly $141 billion due to a “Nunn-McCurdy breach,” a term used when defense programs exceed their budget significantly. Despite these financial challenges, the Pentagon has deemed the Sentinel program too critical to national security to cancel, underscoring its importance amidst ongoing global tensions.