The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Obama administration will need $355 billion between fiscal years 2014 and 2013 to manage the country’s arsenal of nuclear weapons.That figure is intended to reflect the costs of operating and maintaining current systems as well as plans by the departments of Energy and Defense to modernize and replace weapons and delivery systems, CBO said in a Dec. 20 report.
DoD and DOE intend to acquire new ballistic missiles, long-range bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles and also have plans to refurbish current ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and nearly all nuclear warheads.
CBO projects $296 billion in costs for systems and reactors, with the remaining $59 million is intended to reflect cost growth at the same average rate that similar programs have experienced in the past.
Of the $296 billion, CBO estimates $136 billion over 10 years to be spent on strategic and tactical nuclear delivery systems.
The report also lists $105 billion in spending over 10 years for nuclear weapons, DOE’s nuclear weapons enterprise and SSBN nuclear reactors.
Nuclear command, control, communications, and early-warning systems are projected to cost $56 billion over 10 years.
