US to Spend $1.2 Trillion to Modernize, Maintain Nuclear Forces

The United States will need to spend more than $1.2 trillion over the next 30 years to follow through with plans to modernize and manage its nuclear deterrent, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said in an estimate released on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Other expenses include operational costs for command, control and early warning systems, as well as maintaining a network of US national nuclear laboratories, the release explained.

"The Obama Administration’s 2017 plans for nuclear forces would cost about $1.2 trillion (in 2017 dollars) over the 2017–2046 period," CBO said. "About $400 billion of that total would pay for modernization."

The CBO analysis also included a number of options for reducing costs, such as delaying some modernization programs and reducing the number of US nuclear warheads.

In August, the US Air Force announced new contracts totaling nearly $2.5 billion to develop a nuclear-tipped long range stealth cruise missile and a project to replace intercontinental ballistic missiles in silos throughout the United States, according to media reports.

Plans for nuclear modernization that were first developed during the Obama administration have been embraced by incumbent President Donald Trump.