Inside the Pentagon’s High-Stakes Nuclear Overhaul

The Pentagon is undertaking a massive modernization of the entire U.S. nuclear triad, including warhead production facilities and delivery systems like ICBMs, submarines, and bombers. The Sentinel ICBM program, designed to replace aging Minuteman III missiles, faced significant cost overruns and delays, with a first flight test now scheduled for 2027. Senate officials describe this as a once-in-a-generation modernization effort critical to national security against near-peer adversaries Russia and China.