The $130B Plan to Replace the U.S.’s Nuclear Missiles | WSJ Equipped

The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
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Published 2024-03-20
About 450 Cold War-era Minuteman nuclear missiles were only supposed to last 10 years. But now, these ICBMs have defended the U.S. for more than 50. The Air Force is planning to spend $130 billion on replacing them to boost the U.S. nuclear defense strategy with a new modern iteration—the Sentinel missile.

WSJ explains the science and strategy behind nuclear missiles and the logistical challenges of the Sentinel project.

Chapters:
0:00 Expired ICBMs
0:42 The U.S.’s nuclear triad
3:12 Weaknesses
5:00 What’s next for the Sentinel project?

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All Comments (21)
  • @0GraviT
    37% over budget is probably the best a US military project ever achieved 💀
  • @huy1k995
    WSJ level of illustration: Using a Russian Sub in place of the Ohio class SSG/BN and the F-117 night hawk (retired from front line service) as the air leg of the triad. Never change low level intern messing things up.
  • @user-oj6iz2im4w
    The obsolete floppy disks and interfaces aren't a bug it's a feature.
  • @Doh1962
    I'm confused why are they showing Atlas missiles and calling them Minuteman
  • @phucknuts.7065
    $130,000,000,000, that’s nothing, America can print that before lunch break.
  • @mrapollo_17
    US military going over budget? What? I AM SO SHOCKED
  • @colekarrh9114
    dam I had kick back when he pulled up that floppy disk
  • @jim2lane
    1970's analog technology is much more difficult to hack, therefore, we're going to upgrade it to 21st century technology
  • @GD-8
    4:11 Def wasn't expecting a Giant floppy disk to appear out of nowhere.
  • @Slawp
    I used to work as a cook in these silos in Wyoming. I was completely shocked by how primitive it was but thankful that it wasnt hackable. Boring job, but boring is better than exciting when dealing with nukes
  • @danteaubert3645
    According to this video, the other legs of the nuclear triad are a Russian sub and a F-117.
  • @yeahboyiiiii222
    “Resilient against all those kinda things” Great Interview, such a wordsmith
  • @ffffuchs
    "Rocket" Dear WSJ, we call it a booster, and the "large" and "small" rockets are the stages. What's re-entering also isn't purely a warhead, of which there can be multiple (multiple independent re-entry vehices, MIRVs), but the bus with warheads on top.
  • @courtingdeath3364
    Any plans on spending 1/4 as much to replace their IT system and government services? Ya know, so we ain't getting 2008 government services in 2024.
  • @janwoldstad
    So according to WSJ the minuteman consists of rockets inside rockets - They are called stages how can one get something so basic wrong?