
A draft National Defense Authorization Act due for a committee vote on Wednesday makes good on House Democrats’ promise to slow procurement of next-generation, nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles. The draft National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would authorize less funding than requested for the program, and also calls on the Air Force to commission an independent study about extending the existing silo-launched, intercontinental ballistic missile fleet through 2050: something that, if possible, could short-circuit procurement of the replacement missiles entirely. “The…