Secretary of Defense Mark Esper spoke out in support of maintaining the nuclear “triad,” the combination of nuclear-capable bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and nuclear missile submarines that form the Pentagon’s strategic nuclear war-fighting capability.

All three legs of the triad—the B-2 bombers, Minuteman III missiles, and Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines—are scheduled to be replaced over the next 20 years.

The United States maintains approximately 1,600 strategic nuclear weapons deployed around the world.

This includes 400 warheads on 400 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) sitting in hardened silos across the West, roughly 900 on a force of 12 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, and another 600 at U.S.

The end of the Cold War placed America’s nuclear arsenal on the back burner, and new strategic nuclear delivery systems haven’t been developed for more than three decades.

The Pentagon is warning however that the B-2 Spirit, Minuteman III, and Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines are approaching the end of their service lives and must be replaced.

The new B-21 Raider bomber program will cost $97 billion, the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent missile, designed to replace the Minuteman III, will cost $85 billion, and the new Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines will cost $115 billion.

The cost to replace existing systems and maintain the current weapons stockpile will cost $1.2 trillion over 30 years.

Then there's the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, the replacement for the Minuteman III.

Nuclear missile submarines, once at sea are invulnerable to attack, and the current Ohio-class submarines have never been tracked by an enemy sub.

Our first option is to dissolve the ICBM force, and that will save the $85 billion that would have gone to Ground Based Strategic Deterrent.