WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — "The Minuteman III with each year becomes more and more obsolete, and I am concerned that if we don’t replace it, the enemy gets a vote and we will not be able to provide the capabilities that are needed," Rand told the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.
The United States is on a path to modernize its ground, sea and air-based nuclear deterrent in the coming three decades, a venture estimated to cost $1 trillion. Some critics have promoted postponing and even phasing out the ICBM leg of the nuclear triad due to its high cost.
The Minuteman III is currently the only ICBM in service in the United States, with approximately 450 missiles in silos across the country in the states of Nebraska, North Dakota, Montana, Colorado and Wyoming.
