Senate panel presses nominees on accelerating Sentinel and sustainment of nuclear triad

Senators on the Armed Services Committee pressed nominees about the pace and resourcing of U.S. nuclear modernization, with specific attention to the land‑based intercontinental ballistic missile program (Sentinel), the Minuteman III legacy systems, and bomber recapitalization.

Senator Ernst opened the nuclear line of questioning by describing the nuclear triad as the cornerstone of national defense and asked whether nominees would use “all available tools to accelerate Sentinel emplacement and ensure the nation’s ICBM capability moves forward.” Dr. Troy Mink, the nominee for Secretary of the Air Force, replied that, if confirmed, he would commit to doing so and said he looked forward to reviewing the relevant analysis and coordinating on activities such as the B‑21 bomber program. Michael Duffy, nominee for Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, emphasized that nuclear modernization is the backbone of deterrence, cited the Columbia‑class submarine, the B‑21 and Sentinel as critical programs, and said the chair of the Nuclear Weapons Council should work closely with the National Nuclear Security Administration and the committee to ensure accelerated acquisition and safe, secure command‑and‑control.

Both nominees framed their responses around resource advocacy. Mink told senators he intends to take “a holistic look at all of the modernization and all the readiness bills” and to press the administration and Congress for resources he determines necessary to execute the department’s missions. Duffy said he would advocate for the resources required to provide the force with modern nuclear capabilities and secure the industrial base needed to support those systems.

The nominees’ responses were procedural and committed to further review rather than announcing specific schedule changes. No binding decisions or new timelines were declared during the hearing.