The U.S. Doesn’t Need New Missiles in the Ground

The logic of deterrence holds that preventing a nuclear war requires an arsenal potent enough to win one. Having inherited possession of the military’s nuclear codes, President Joe Biden should ensure the U.S. maintains its superiority over potential adversaries — while also working to limit spending on new hardware the country doesn’t need.

The Pentagon plans to spend nearly $500 billion over the next decade to modernize the “triad” of land-, sea- and air-based nuclear-weapons systems. Among the costliest modernization programs is the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, which calls for wholesale replacement of the current fleet of Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (or ICBMs). The military’s desire to upgrade Cold War-era weapons is understandable, but the strategic rationale for doing so now is weak. The Biden administration can free up resources for more pressing national-security priorities by putting the program on hold.