The Navy is continuing to work with the Air Force to cooperate on sustaining their respective ballistic missiles as Navy Director of Strategic Systems Programs Adm. Terry Benedict estimated yesterday at the Nuclear Deterrence Summit in Washington, D.C., that submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) will compose about 70 percent of U.S. deployed strategic nuclear warheads after the New START Treaty is fully implemented in 2021. The Navy is looking at commonality with the Air Force to manage future costs and reliability for SLBMs. Expected to retire in 2084, the Ohio-Class Replacement will each feature 16 missile tubes for each of its 12 planned submarines. “Where is the right place to interject what I call intelligent commonality?” Benedict said. “Not commonality for commonality’s sake, because one of the concerns I’d have in being uniquely common with the United States Air Force is the risk of running into a reliability issue which would then take out two legs of the triad.”
Benedict added that the SSP and the Air Force are jointly approaching areas including reentry, propulsion, electronics, guidance, flight tests and ground tests for ballistic missiles. “How can we use these things to reduce what is an impending bill in order to refurbish two legs of the triad out in that red area?” Benedict said. “[R]eliance on the SLBMs is increasing.” The Navy has requested $1.18 billion for the Trident 2 life extension program for Fiscal Year 2016. Benedict said in the long term, the Navy is still weighing outfitting options for the Ohio-Class Replacement. The service is considering whether the Trident 2 D5 will undergo a second life extension program or whether a Trident E6—the notional follow-on for the Trident 2 D5—will be built.
