Defense. Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile (Jeo Gould, Defense News)

Senior Airman Ryan Page inspects the front of a booster in preparation for a missile roll transfer on April 20, 2021, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. Missile handlers follow a step-by-step checklist to ensure the Minuteman III ICBM is able to roll between two vehicles for routine maintenance before it returns to the field. (Airman Elijah Van Zandt/U.S. Air Force)

Nuclear modernization opponents and defenders are gearing up to fight again over the next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile and other efforts.

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and a skeptic of nuclear spending on the House Armed Services Committee, confirmed he plans to offer nuclear-themed amendments when the annual defense bill receives House floor consideration later this month. One aims to pause the Air Force’s nascent Ground Based Strategic Deterrent in favor of maintaining the missile it would replace, the Minuteman III; another would zero out funds for the GBSD’s warhead, the W87-1.

Lawmakers set for battle over next-gen nuclear missile (defensenews.com)