The U.S. Navy is developing a brand new nuclear missile that Biden didn't want

The United States Navy is planning to develop a new sea-launched nuclear missile and work on the weapon could begin soon according to reports. Here’s what we know about the U.S. Navy’s new nuclear weapon. 

Inside Defense reported that the U.S. Navy has taken another step forward in its plan to develop a nuclear sea-launched missile following a June 14th notice from the government indicating it will soon award a research and development contract. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By OS2 John Bouvia, USN, Public Domain

The government contracting firm “Systems Planning Analysis will provide research and development services to support the SLCM-N program office,” wrote Abby Shepherd of Inside Defense, who referenced the U.S. Navy’s missile program. 

The Nuclear-Armed Sea Launched Cruise Missile, also known as SLCM-N, has been in development since 2018 when it was proposed during the Trump administration, but the program has been hampered by the Biden administration. 

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) stated in a May 31st report on the SLCM-N that in 2022 the Biden administration proposed the program should be canceled, arguing it was “no longer necessary” because of the W76-2 Low-Yield Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile Warhead (SLBM). 

According to the CRS, the Biden administration argued in a July 2023 policy statement that deploying the SLCM-N could reduce the “capacity for conventional strike munitions, create additional burdens on naval training, maintenance, and operations, and could create additional risks to the Navy’s ability to operate in key regions.”

Funding from the SLCM-N program was not included in the Biden administration’s 2023, 2024, or 2025 funding requests. Nevertheless, Congress still approved the funding required for the new nuclear missile and its nuclear warhead. 

Despite the concerns from the Biden administration, it appears the SLCM-N program is moving forward according to The Telegraph, which reported that the new nuclear cruise missile is scheduled to be completed sometime in the mid-2030s. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons by Paul Punter/MOD, OGL v1.0

Once the U.S. Navy’s new nuclear cruise missile is completed, it will be the first of its kind in operation by the United States since the Cold War and can be launched from either an attack submarine or a surface vessel. 

“The SLCM-N would be the first new nuclear weapon introduced by the United States since the end of the Cold War, sending a strong message of deterrence to potential adversaries,” the Atlantic Council’s Robert Soofer wrote about the missile in April 2024. 

The SLCM-N will have a shorter range than the ballistic missiles currently stored on the British Trident submarine, but the new weapon is being developed to compete with the nuclear programs of China and Russia, according to The Telegraph.

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