Russian SS-25 and American Peacekeeper strategic nuclear missiles(Photo from Aerospaceweb)
From The Wall Street Journal:
The U.S. will not have a credible arsenal unless Washington acts soon to replace aging warheads.
Gen. Kevin Chilton, a former command astronaut, is no stranger to cutting-edge technology. But these days the man responsible for the command and control of U.S. nuclear forces finds himself talking more often about '57 Chevys than the space shuttle. On a recent visit to The Wall Street Journal he wheeled out the Chevy analogy to describe the nation's aging arsenal of nuclear warheads. The message he's carrying to the Pentagon, Capitol Hill, the press and anyone else who will listen is: Modernize, modernize, modernize.
Read more ....
My Comment: Modernizing America's nuclear forces will run into the tens of billions of dollars (if not more) over the next few years. Budget deficits, financial crisis, and a new U.S. President who wants to eliminate most of these weapon systems .... this does not bode well for what will need to be done in the next year or two.