Military

Trillion-dollar pitch: US nuclear triad too old to fight Russians, Pentagon says

The US military urgently needs to modernize all three legs of the “nuclear triad” because its existing weapons are getting old and won’t be able to breach Russian air defenses in the very near future, senior Air Force and Navy officers told Congress.

There are “scheduled realities” to the US nuclear weapon systems, US Air Force General Paul Selva, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. Ohio-class submarines, Minuteman III ballistic missiles and B-52 strategic bombers are all rapidly approaching the end of their useful lifespan, according to Selva and three other senior officers testifying.

“Our nuclear deterrent is nearing a crossroads,” Selva said. “We are now at a point where we must concurrently modernize the entire nuclear triad and the infrastructure that enables its effectiveness.”