Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityThe Cost of Modernization: Can we Afford to Replicate the Triad?ByLiz Whitfield and CSIS PONIPublished Oct 2, 2014All three legs of the U.S. nuclear triad are aging and will need large-scale, expensive modernization in the coming decades if they are to be maintained. This has prompted a discussion about the continued necessity of the nuclear triad in the post-Cold War era. Is maintaining the triad worth the money?
Analysis / Commentary, Next Gen CommunityNASA, the Navy and Nukes: Solid Rocket Fuel and the Future of the Trident MissileByLindsay Miller and CSIS PONIPublished Jun 24, 2014Because both the space shuttles and the U.S. Trident D5 SLBMs rely on solid propellant fuels, NASA’s decisions about its space programs have repercussions in the defense industry. In 2017, NASA plans to launch the first mission of the new Space Launch System (SLS). In 2016, NASA will decide how exactly the SLS will be propelled.