U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command says it is prepared to load more warheads onto Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and restore nuclear weapons capability to the entire B-52 bomber fleet, if called upon to do so. Limitations had been imposed on both of those capabilities by the New START arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, which recently expired without a follow-on agreement in place, as you can read more about here.
There are currently 400 Minuteman IIIs, also designated LGM-30Gs, loaded in silos spread across five states. Each one is topped with a single W78 or W87 warhead. Of the Air Force’s 76 B-52H bombers, 30 are currently only capable of employing conventional munitions. This posture had helped the United States meet its obligations under New START. The treaty had put hard caps on the total number of deployed strategic missiles and bombers, strategic nuclear warheads, and relevant deployed and non-deployed launchers that the United States and Russia could have at any one time.
“The conclusion of New START allows us to streamline our focus and dedicate more resources to our core mission: ensuring a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent,” an AFGSC spokesperson told TWZ. “This managed transition enhances our operational readiness and our ability to respond to the nation’s call.”
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“Although we will not comment on the posturing of our forces, Air Force Global Strike Command both maintains the capability and training to MIRV the Minuteman III ICBM force and convert its entire B-52 fleet into dual capable long range strike platforms if directed by the President,” the spokesperson added.
MIRV here stands for multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle. ICBMs and other ballistic missiles with MIRV configurations are designed to carry and release multiple warheads on different targets in the course of their flight. When the Air Force first began fielding the LGM-30G in 1970, the missiles had a MIRV configuration with three W78 warheads. Each one of those warheads has a reported yield of around 335 kilotons.
The Minuteman IIIs had already been downloaded to just one warhead in line with other strategic arms control treaties with Russia prior to New START. Those agreements had also led to the early retirement of the Air Force’s LGM-118A Peacemaker ICBM force in 2005. The LGM-118A was also a MIRVed missile capable of carrying up to 11 W87 warheads at once. Newer W87s from decommissioned Peacemakers were subsequently refitted on Minuteman IIIs. The W87’s reported yield is at least 300 kilotons, but its second stage is understood to be modifiable to increase that to 475 kilotons.
The time that would be required, as well as what it would cost, to ‘upload’ more warheads onto any portion of the Minuteman III force is unclear. At least some of those missiles would also need to be refitted with MIRV-capable payload buses. Whether there are any additional limitations on how many W87s can be loaded onto a single LGM-30G at once is also not clear. The ready availability of appropriate warheads is another open question.
“I do believe that we need to take serious consideration in seeing what uploading and re-MIRVing the ICBM looks like, and what does it take to potentially do that,” now-retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Anthony Cotton, then head of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), had said during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee back in 2024.
All of this could also impact the future configuration of the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM now in development to replace the Minuteman III. In line with the New START limits, the Air Force’s stated plan to date has been to top each LGM-35A with a single warhead. The entire Sentinel program is currently in the process of being restructured as a result of severe delays and ballooning costs. The blame for those issues has been placed largely on requirements for new ground-based infrastructure rather than the missiles themselves, as you can read more about here.
Re-nuclearizing the 30 B-52s is at least a somewhat less complex proposition. The process of converting those bombers into a conventional-only configuration involved “removing the nuclear code enabling switch and interconnection box, mounting a code enabling switch inhibitor plate, removing applicable cable connectors, [and] capping applicable wire bundles,” according to a letter Russian authorities sent a letter to their U.S. counterparts in 2018, which The Wall Street Journal obtained and then published.
Officials in Moscow had sent the missive to lodge official complaints about what they described as potentially readily reversible steps the U.S. military had taken to meet its New START obligations. What additional steps the U.S. military may have taken with regard to the B-52 fleet to address those concerns are not entirely clear. Today, nuclear-capable B-52Hs are easy to distinguish by the presence of a pair of prominent antennas, one on either side of the rear fuselage.
There has been some disagreement in the past about what it might cost to restore nuclear capability to the entire B-52 fleet.
“The restoration could probably be done without much difficulty. The necessary wiring is probably still in place… and physical components that had been removed could be re-installed,” Defense News reported in 2024, citing Mark Gunzinger, Director of Future Concepts and Capability Assessments at the Air & Space Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies think tank. Gunzinger is also an Air Force veteran who flew B-52s.
“This would cost a great deal of money,” Representative Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington State and the ranking member of his party on the House Armed Services Committee, also said at that time, per the same Defense News story. “Also, they’re currently trying to extend the life of a number of B-52s out to 2050, which they think they can do. This would be another added expense to that.”
In the annual defense policy bill, or National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), for the 2025 Fiscal Year, Congress did give the Air Force authority to convert conventional-only B-52Hs back to a dual-capable configuration following the expiration of New START. However, the provisions did not compel the service to do so, and did not provide any hints as to the time or funds that would be needed.
As it stands now, there is also only one nuclear weapon authorized for use on the B-52, which is the AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM). A replacement for the AGM-86B, the AGM-181A Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) missile, is now in development. The AGM-181A is also set to be part of the nuclear arsenal for the forthcoming B-21 Raider stealth bomber.
The B-52 fleet is otherwise in the process of recieving a host of major upgrades, including new engines and radars. At the end of the upgrade process, which has been beset by delays, the bombers will be redesignated as B-52Js. They are expected to keep flying into the 2050s. The end of New START could have further impacts on the Air Force’s future bomber fleets, as there are currently no constraints on how many nuclear-capable B-21s the service can now order.
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In the wake of New START’s expiration, U.S. officials have said that they are committed to pursuing new strategic arms control agreements, but also that they want any future deal to include China, as well as Russia. These Chinese are currently in the midst of a major nuclear modernization effort, as well as a huge expansion in their total stockpile, though their arsenal continues to be dwarfed by that of the United States and Russia. Officials in Beijing have repeatedly rebuffed calls to join in new strategic arms control negotiations. U.S. authorities have also now openly alleged that the Chinese government has engaged in secret critical-level nuclear testing, which could further complicate future diplomatic efforts.
So far, the U.S. government has not laid out any specific plans to increase the size of America’s nuclear arsenal or otherwise alter its nuclear force posture. However, AFGSC has now said that it is at least prepared to move out on returning the Minuteman IIIs to a MIRVed configuration and/or restoring nuclear capability to the entire B-52 fleet if that decision is made.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com