Inside the Air Force reports today that the service's intercontinental ballistic missile community this winter completed a successful operational test and is planning to award a broad ICBM sustainment contract. Also, most recently, the service issued an initial solicitation for white papers on the future of the ground-based leg of the nuclear triad:
The Minuteman III is the lone operational ICBM in the Air Force's arsenal and is programmed to remain in service until 2030. To that end, the service recently announced the successful completion of a November test from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, while at the same time moving ahead on more forward-looking acquisition initiatives.
The Air Force has yet to decide whether to modernize the Minuteman III to keep it viable past 2030 or replace it altogether, and to gather ideas on both possibilities, the service issued a Jan. 7 broad agency announcement calling for white papers from industry. At this early stage, a future ICBM solution is being referred to as the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, or GBSD.
"This BAA initiates a request for analysis, refinement, and technical amplification of concepts designed to satisfy the GBSD capabilities with an operational life of 2025-2075 time frame," the document states. "Concepts are requested to address the GBSD weapon system-of-systems, to include the payload delivery vehicle, warhead integration, basing, and nuclear command, control and communications starting at message receipt. Underlying considerations should be a modular, open systems architecture ('Plug and Play') and commonality with Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), Submarine-launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBM), Prompt Global Strike/Conventional Strike Missile, and space launch vehicles."
Based on previous interaction with industry and internal research, the Air Force has created five broad classes of concepts for future ICBMs. They are: the continued use of today's Minuteman III with "no deliberate attempt" to close capability gaps; the "current fixed" concept, which would modernize existing missiles and continue using current silos; "new fixed," which would develop a replacement missile to be kept in a new, super-hardened silo; "mobile," which would develop a new ICBM to be employed off of a mobile platform called a transporter erector launcher; and "tunnel," described in the BAA as a subway system for launching ICBMs.
White papers are due Feb. 8, and contract awards -- multiple awards are possible -- are anticipated in late March. The Air Force has $3 million available for this GBSD BAA, and awardees will have six months to perform their studies, according to the document.
House and Senate authorization conferees had language on strategic delivery systems in the final version of the fiscal year 2013 defense policy conference bill that President Obama signed into law last week:
The Senate amendment contained a provision (sec. 1071) that would require the President to certify to the congressional defense committees whether plans to modernize strategic delivery systems are funded at a level equal to or more than that outlined in the November 2010 update to the plan found in section 1251 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84). If the level of funding is less than that referred to in the November 2010 update, then the President must submit as part of the reporting requirements under section 1043 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Public Law 112-81), his assessment of whether a lack of full funding will result in a loss of military capability. If the President determines that the lack of full funding will result in a loss of military capability, he must submit with the section 1043 report a plan to preserve or retain the capability that would be lost, and a report that assesses the impact of the lack of full funding and a description of the funding required to restore the capability.
The House bill contained a similar provision (sec. 1055) that would require the President to certify annually whether plans to modernize or replace strategic delivery systems are fully resourced and being executed at a level equal to or more than the levels set forth in the November 2010 update to the plan referred to in section 1251 of Public Law 111-84. The section would further prohibit the use of funds to reduce, convert, or eliminate strategic delivery systems as a result of the New START treaty or otherwise unless the President is able to issue the required certification.
The House recedes with an amendment that would require the President to certify annually to the congressional defense committees whether plans to replace or modernize strategic delivery systems are funded at levels equal that under the November 2010 update to section 1251 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84). If before fiscal year 2020, the President reports that the plan to modernize the strategic delivery systems is not fully funded according to the November 2010 update, the President shall include with the report to Congress under section 1043 of Public Law 112-81 a determination whether the lack of funding will result in a loss of military capability as compared to the November 2010 update. If the determination is made that a lack of full funding will result in a loss of military capability, the President shall include with the report under section 1043 of Public Law 112-81, a plan to preserve the military capability that would be lost, an assessment of the impact of the lack of full funding on the strategic delivery systems, and a description of the funding required to restore military capability. The President must certify a commitment to accomplishing the modernization and replacement of strategic delivery systems and the political obligations concerning nuclear modernization as set forth in declaration 12 of the Resolution of Advice and Consent to Ratification of the New START treaty.
The amendment also requires that the President make the certification regarding full funding for the strategic delivery systems under the November 2010 update to the section 1251 plan not less than 60 days before the date on which the President carries out any proposed reduction to the strategic delivery systems along with any additional reporting matters described in this section. In addition, the President must certify to the congressional defense committees that the Russian Federation is in compliance with its arms control obligations with the United States.