The U.S. to stop developing nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles

| October 28, 2022

A decision has been made to stop developing the submarine-launched cruise missile.  This decision helps Team Biden to cater to calls from Democrats to scale back on our nuclear arsenal without sacrificing our triad capabilities. By contrast, when Trump was in the White House, a decision was made to develop a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile.

From Reuters:

The decision to cancel the submarine-launched cruise missile could help President Joe Biden address calls from fellow Democrats to scale back America’s nuclear arsenal without sacrificing major components of its nuclear “triad” of nuclear-tipped ground-based inter-continental ballistic missiles, nuclear-capable bomber aircraft and submarine-launched nuclear arms.

However, it is unclear if Congress, which could come under Republican control after next month’s elections, will resist the efforts to scrap it.

The Biden administration released three documents on Thursday: the National Defense Strategy, Nuclear Posture Review and Missile Defense Review. Together, they laid out the military’s priorities for the coming years and underscored that Washington would maintain “a very high bar for nuclear employment.”

Under President Donald Trump’s administration, the military made a decision in 2018 to develop a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile, with a focus on the threat from Russia.

But the Biden administration said in its review the sea-launched cruise missile program (SLCM-N) was unnecessary and would be cancelled because the United States already had the “means to deter limited nuclear use.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters the military did not need the SLCM-N because there was enough capability in the nuclear inventory already.

“I don’t think this sends any message to Putin. He understands what our capability is,” Austin said when asked if the scrapping would send a dangerous message to Russia and China.

In April, top U.S. general Mark Milley told lawmakers that his position on the SLCM-N had not changed and he believed multiple options were needed.

Asked whether any military officials had recommended canceling the SLCM-N, a senior U.S. defense official told a briefing that “everyone’s voices have been heard.” The official added the program was scrapped because even if it had been fully funded, the missiles would not be ready until 2035.

Reuters has additional information on this link.

Category: Joe BIden, Military issues, Navy, Nukes

16 Comments
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Mick

Extremely stupid decision in view of the current evolving world strategic situation.

Willfully denying ourselves a viable alternative means of nuclear weapons delivery because reasons (feelings).

Let’s Go Brandon!

MustangCPT

While our adversaries are going full speed ahead with multiple delivery options including the hypersonic missiles that Vlad is bringing online.

Sapper3307

Destroyed from within/

lnuccznactv91.jpg
Anonymous

Gee, we only had them during the Cold War and now we don’t for Cold War, Part II.

USMC Steve

Seriously, is there ANYTHING this guy and his cabal does that is not wrapped end to end in stupid?

AW1 Rod

You answer your own question.

USMC Steve

True dat.

Roh-Dog

The Pentagone needed funds for this:

ALARACT 069/2022
PUBLICATION OF THE BASIC DAILY FOOD ALLOWANCE (BDFA) INCORPORATING HOLISTIC HEALTH AND FITNESS (H2F) FUNDING EFFECTIVE 1 OCT 2022

Unfortunately it’s distro is limited to gov and contractors only.

More like ‘wholeistic’ waste!

Wireman611

And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, to be ruled over by those who kept their swords.

Anonymous

Like Clint said: “There are only two kinds of people in this world, my friend. Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.”

Last edited 1 year ago by Anonymous
5JC

When your biggest threats are all aggressive and nuclear armed, killing your next generation of nuclear arms in the cradle makes about as much sense as anything the Democrats do.

David

Democrats… Jimmy C and the neutron bomb sure come to mind.

KoB

Better to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them.

Anonymous

True that.
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JustALurkinAround

the missiles would not be ready until 2035

Wasn’t that the same “logic” they used when hammering Palin over “Drill Baby, Drill?”

MCPO USN

And the Keystone pipeline.

It is easy to figure out why this was cancelled. Trump did not put in 10% for the “big guy”.

Maybe it will be better as we will not be able to leave $82B worth somewhere for our enemies.