“When I say that there is a step that could reduce the risk of nuclear war significantly that has not been taken but could easily be taken, that is the elimination of American ICBMs.” –Daniel Ellsberg (1931-2023)
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a land-based nuclear weapon. U.S. ICBMs are stored in underground silos across the Great Plains. Once launched, even by accident, they cannot be recalled. William J. Perry, U.S. defense secretary from 1994 to 1997 warned about the threat posed by ICBMs. “These dangerous missiles are not needed for deterrence, as we would use survivable weapons based on submarines at sea for any retaliation. Yet ICBMs increase the risk that we will blunder into nuclear war by mistake. … Starting a nuclear war by mistake is the greatest existential risk to the United States today. The ICBMs are, at best, extra insurance that we do not need; at worst, they are a nuclear catastrophe waiting to happen.”
The cost per unit for the new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile system was projected to be $118 million and now is estimated at $162 million, putting the projected total program cost at about $130 billion-plus over the next decade, up from an estimated baseline of $96 billion.
June 10 to 16, 2024, is Daniel Ellsberg Week, a week of education and action to honor peacemaking and whistleblowing. Visit defusenuclearwar.org to learn more about ICBMs.
Test launches of an ICBM happen about four times a year at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Lompoc. Consider joining the monthly peaceful protests outside of Vandenberg the first Wednesday of each month from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m.; alternatively, write to your legislators to tell them to eliminate ICBMs.
ICBMs are dangerous and costly.
Dolores Howard
Paso Robles
