BLUF: The modernization of the land leg of the nuclear triad must be funded to meet all of its requirements, even if it runs over budget again.
I am all for cutting spending in defense, but our strategic nuclear deterrent is the one place we cannot afford to do so. If ever America needed to have the attitude that our nation needs and deserves the best for its defense, the modernization of our nuclear deterrent is that case.
The program to modernize the land leg of the nuclear triad just went through a critical Nunn-McCurdy breach and was re-certified despite the budget overruns. Even with the new budget, there are some considering sacrificing necessary key performance parameters to stay within the new budget (~140 billion — yes, it turns my stomach too).
As unpopular as it is to say, this program must be funded to meet all of its key performance parameters (KPPs). Even if it breaks the new budget to achieve, the nation must have a modern ICBM that meets or exceeds the system it replaces in all KPPs.