A resolution supporting a robust and modern ICBM force to maximize the value of the nuclear triad of the United States.

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 24 Supporting a robust and modern ICBM force to maximize the value of the nuclear triad of the United States. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JANUARY 17, 2019 Mr. HOEVEN (for himself, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. DAINES, Mr. ENZI, and Mr. TESTER) submitted the following resolution; which was re- ferred to the Committee on Armed Services RESOLUTION Supporting a robust and modern ICBM force to maximize the value of the nuclear triad of the United States. Whereas land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (in this preamble referred to as ‘‘ICBMs’’) have been a critical part of the strategic deterrent of the United States for 6 decades in conjunction with air and sea-based strategic delivery systems; Whereas President John F. Kennedy referred to the deploy- ment of the first Minuteman missile during the Cuban Missile Crisis as his ‘‘ace in the hole’’; Whereas the Minuteman III missile entered service in 1970 and is still deployed in 2019, well beyond its originally intended service life; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR24.IS SR24 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •SRES 24 IS Whereas the ICBM force of the United States peaked at more than 1,200 deployed missiles during the Cold War; Whereas the ICBM force of the United States currently con- sists of approximately 400 Minuteman III missiles de- ployed across 450 operational missile silos, each carrying a single warhead; Whereas the Russian Federation currently deploys at least 300 ICBMs with multiple warheads loaded on each mis- sile and has announced plans to replace its Soviet-era systems with modernized ICBMs; Whereas the People’s Republic of China currently deploys at least 75 ICBMs and plans to grow its ICBM force through the deployment of modernized, road-mobile ICBMs that carry multiple warheads; Whereas the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China deploy nuclear weapons across a variety of plat- forms in addition to their ICBM forces; Whereas numerous countries possess or are seeking to de- velop nuclear weapons capabilities that pose challenges to the nuclear deterrence of the United States; Whereas the nuclear deterrent of the United States is com- prised of a triad of delivery systems for nuclear weapons, including submarine-launched ballistic missiles (in this preamble referred to as ‘‘SLBMs’’), air-delivered gravity bombs and cruise missiles, and land-based ballistic mis- siles that provide interlocking and mutually reinforcing attributes that enhance strategic deterrence; Whereas weakening one leg of the triad limits the deterrent value of the other legs of the triad; Whereas, in the nuclear deterrent of the United States, ICBMs provide commanders with the most prompt re- VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR24.IS SR24 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •SRES 24 IS sponse capability, SLBMs provide stealth and surviv- ability, and aircraft armed with nuclear weapons provide flexibility; Whereas the ICBM force of the United States forces any would-be attacker to confront more than 400 discrete tar- gets, thus creating an effectively insurmountable tar- geting problem for a potential adversary; Whereas the size, dispersal, and global reach of the ICBM force of the United States ensures that no adversary can escalate a crisis beyond the ability of the United States to respond; Whereas a potential attacker would be forced to expend far more warheads to destroy the ICBMs of the United States than the United States would lose in an attack, because of the deployment of a single warhead on each ICBM of the United States; Whereas the ICBM force provides a persistent deterrent ca- pability that reinforces strategic stability; Whereas ICBMs are the cheapest delivery system for nuclear weapons for the United States to operate and maintain; Whereas United States Strategic Command has validated military requirements for the unique capabilities of ICBMs; Whereas, in a 2014 analysis of alternatives, the Air Force concluded that replacing the Minuteman III missile would provide upgraded capabilities at lower cost when com- pared with extending the service life of the Minuteman III missile; and Whereas the Minuteman III replacement program, known as the ground-based strategic deterrent, is expected to pro- vide a land-based strategic deterrent capability for 5 dec- VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR24.IS SR24 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •SRES 24 IS ades after the program enters service: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) recognizes that land-based intercontinental 2 ballistic missiles (in this resolution referred to as 3 ‘‘ICBMs’’) have certain characteristics, including re- 4 sponsiveness, persistence, and dispersal, that en- 5 hance strategic stability and magnify the deterrent 6 value of the air and sea-based legs of the nuclear 7 triad of the United States; 8 (2) emphasizes the role that ICBMs have 9 played and continue to play in deterring attacks on 10 the United States and its allies; 11 (3) observes that while arms control agreements 12 have reduced the size of the ICBM force of the 13 United States, adversaries of the United States con- 14 tinue to enhance, enlarge, and modernize their 15 ICBM forces; 16 (4) supports the modernization of the ICBM 17 force of the United States through the ground-based 18 strategic deterrent program; 19 (5) highlights that ICBMs have the lowest oper- 20 ation, maintenance, and modernization costs of any 21 part of the nuclear deterrent of the United States; 22 and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR24.IS SR24 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •SRES 24 IS (6) opposes efforts to unilaterally reduce the 1 size of the ICBM force of the United States or delay 2 the implementation of the ground-based strategic de- 3 terrent program, which would degrade the deterrent 4 capabilities of a fully operational and modernized 5 nuclear triad. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:38 Jan 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR24.IS SR24 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS