
House Democrats failed in their effort to slow procurement of next-generation, nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles via the 2020 National Defense Appropriations Act, the final version of which funds the program at nearly the requested level, while also approving the Department of Energy’s plan to build warheads for the missile. However, the bill is loaded with legally binding language requiring several new, unclassified reports about the Pentagon’s effort to replace some 400 aging, silo-based Minuteman III missiles with Ground Based Strategic…