Overview
- The Air Force says the Sentinel restructure will finish in 2026 with a new Milestone B decision by year’s end and initial capability in the early 2030s.
- Program officials cite recent technical progress, including assembly of a three‑stage ground test missile, Stage‑1 and Stage‑2 motor qualifications, and a Launch Support System critical design review.
- Construction and prototyping are accelerating, with a prototype silo breaking ground this month in Promontory, Utah, utility‑corridor trials slated for summer at F. E. Warren, and new facilities under way at Vandenberg and F. E. Warren.
- GAO’s Feb. 18 snapshot warns of significant software, supply, and transition risks and projects the first flight no earlier than March 2028, a later date the Air Force disputes.
- Oversight has been consolidated under a new Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager led by Gen. Dale White, while transition steps include taking the first Minuteman III silo offline; no updated cost baseline has been released since the 2024 estimate of about $140.9 billion.