United States SRES 24: A resolution supporting a robust and modern ICBM force to maximize the value of the nuclear triad of the United States.

Bill Text

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 SR24kjohnson 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 SR24kjohnson 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 SR24kjohnson 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