Overview

• Public findings released Sept. 10 say the Air Force deems operating Minuteman III to 2050 feasible, but GAO warns the extension carries significant sustainment risks.
• Sentinel’s restructured program remains years late and at least 81% over its original cost estimate, with projected spending around $140–160 billion after a 2024 Nunn-McCurdy breach.
• The Air Force has no transition risk management plan and no schedule for a Sentinel test facility, which GAO says is needed early to prepare forces for concurrent Minuteman and Sentinel operations.
• Infrastructure setbacks continue as officials conclude new silos must be built rather than reusing Minuteman-era sites, inflating cost and complexity.
• GAO cites dwindling spare parts, degrading electronics, and a need to extend and possibly reduce Minuteman flight testing; it notes a MIRV conversion is technically possible but would require a policy change and major logistics.