A Congressional Budget Office report projects that plans to modernize, operate and maintain U.S. nuclear forces as stated in the fiscal 2023 budget requests of the departments of Defense and Energy would cost $756 billion from 2023 through 2032.
The figure reflects a 19 percent increase—or a $122 billion uptick—from CBO’s 2021 estimate of $634 billion over the 10-year period, according to the CBO report published Friday.
The total estimated cost includes $305 billion for the operation and sustainment of existing and future nuclear forces and $96 billion for potential cost increase in excess of projected budgeted amounts.
Of the total projected costs, $247 billion would be used to modernize tactical and strategic nuclear delivery systems and related weapons and $108 billion would be used to update facilities and equipment for the nuclear weapons lab complex and modernize command, control, communications and early-warning platforms.
According to the report, the DOD would incur about 67 percent of the projected costs, mainly for intercontinental ballistic missiles and ballistic missile submarines.