New intercontinental ballistic missile variables in the United StatesBecause in 2020, the head of the US Strategic Command stated on the 22nd that the US Department of Defense must be allowed to accelerate the replacement of the Cold War era Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile. You cannot prolong the life of Militia III, "said the admiral. Charles Richard was interviewed by reporters during a writers' group event at the Department of Defense. It has now passed the point where extending the lifespan of 'Militia No. 3' is not cost-effective. You will soon reach a point where you simply cannot do it Richard's remarks were made two weeks before the inauguration ceremony of President Biden on January 20th, and it is expected that Biden will re-examine the United States' nuclear arsenal and may retract the reforms made during the Trump administration.

Despite the support of the Obama administration for the next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile program (known as ground based strategic deterrence), arms control organizations are urging lawmakers to consider delaying the GBSD program to save costs. Richard told reporters that considering the aging and obsolescence of the LGM-30G "Minuteman III" system, this is not an option. He said, "That thing is too old. In some cases, the (technical) drawings no longer exist, or where we have drawings, they are six generations behind industry standards. Not only can no one understand them - they are no longer alive

In September of this year, the US Air Force selected Northrop Grumman to build GBSD and awarded the company a $13.3 billion engineering and manufacturing development contract. Boeing is the only competitor for this project and has chosen not to bid for the contract due to concerns that Northrop's acquisition of key propulsion supplier Orbital ATK could tilt the competition towards Northrop.

The US Air Force claims that GBSD is more accurate and reliable than its predecessor. Richard said that another important feature is its enhanced security, comparing the "60 year old... circuit switched system" with the modern and resilient network architecture that GBSD will have.

When talking about Russia and China, he said, "This country has never faced the prospect of two nuclear capable opponents before, and they must be deterred in different ways. Actions taken to prevent one country can have an impact on another. This is much more complex than before. [GBSD] is an example of the ability we must have to respond to such threats. "Defense experts predict that, like most other new presidential administrations, the Biden administration may conduct a nuclear posture review to reassess the United States' nuclear capabilities and ensure that the military is prepared to deter Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and other actors with nuclear weapons. Richards said he would 'welcome' this review as US adversaries may have deployed new capabilities since the last review was published in 2018. However, he added that focusing solely on the assessment of nuclear arsenals may be too narrow. We face global threats. Analyzing our review of these threats into nuclear posture review, missile defense review, space review, and cyber review somewhat overlooks the overall strategic threat to this country and our allies. I suggest conducting a broader foundational strategic assessment instead of breaking it down into fragments