Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, spoke at the Task Force 21 Nuclear Triad Symposium on Capitol Hill and made the case for continuing to modernize our nation’s nuclear triad.
“Step by step, year by year, we are making the investments necessary to modernize each part of the triad, and this year will be no exception,” said Hoeven. “We have entered a dangerous time, and the value of deterrence is not some theoretical concept. It is very real. We owe it to the American people to make sure the nation’s nuclear deterrent continues to defend their way of life and to modernize as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”
Hoeven outlined the need to accelerate the schedule for deploying the Sentinel, which will replace the Minutemen III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and advocated for concurrently updating the program across three ICBM bases.
Additionally, Hoeven outlined his work as a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee to provide resources for strengthening the nuclear triad. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations bills with:
- $3.9 billion to support the Sentinel Program.
- $812 million for the Long Range Stand Off Weapon (LRSO), the new nuclear cruise missile carried on the B-52.
- $785 million to upgrade the B-52.
- $5.1 billion for the B-21 program.
- $9.8 billion for the Columbia-class submarine.
- $19.9 billion for weapons activities, including:
- $1.2 billion to develop modernized warheads for the LRSO.
- $1.1 billion for the warheads required for Sentinel.
Hoeven delivered the remarks at a symposium hosted by Task Force 21 Minot. The goal of the symposium is to build support for sustaining and modernizing all three legs of the nuclear triad.
