Air Force Ousts Head of Its Troubled $131 Billion ICBM Program
- Service cites a failure to ‘follow organizational procedures’
- Removal is called separate from inquiry into soaring costs
The US Air Force has removed the manager of its troubled program to build its next intercontinental ballistic missile, citing a “loss of confidence” in management of the project with a price tag that has soared at least 37% to an estimated $131 billion.
The Air Force said the ouster “is not directly related” to an ongoing congressionally mandated review of the ICBM program’s fast-rising cost. But the move is likely to add to congressional skepticism about management of the effort to replace aged Minuteman III missiles as the land-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad.