Soaring Costs: The Expensive Future of America's Nuclear Arsenal

A Congressional Budget Office report projects that the cost of operating and modernizing the U.S. nuclear forces will reach $946 billion by 2034, a significant increase from previous estimates. This surge poses challenges to Trump's defense budget plans, amid unresolved arms control negotiations with Russia and China.

The cost of maintaining and enhancing the United States' nuclear forces is expected to escalate to $946 billion by 2034, as reported by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Thursday. This figure represents a 25% rise from last year's estimate, which has significant implications for the defense budget.

Key analysts have expressed concern that such financial demands will complicate efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to increase defense spending to $1 trillion by fiscal year 2026. This increase also comes at a time when the Pentagon and the Department of Energy are already sharing the burden of nuclear weapons expenditures.

The potential fiscal impact is compounded by the absence of renewed arms control talks between Washington and Moscow, even as the expiration of the latest strategic forces agreement looms. Meanwhile, the CBO highlights that modernizing the nuclear command infrastructure and developing new systems like the Sentinel ICBM contribute to these inflating costs.

(With inputs from agencies.)