[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2039 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2039

    To require an assessment of the plans for the modernization and 
sustainment of the land-based, Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic 
       missile strategic deterrent force, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 11, 2007

Mr. Hatch (for himself and Mr. Bennett) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require an assessment of the plans for the modernization and 
sustainment of the land-based, Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic 
       missile strategic deterrent force, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Strategic Deterrent Sustainment Act 
of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The strategic forces of the United States remain a 
        cornerstone of United States national security.
            (2) The 2001 Nuclear Posture Review states that it is the 
        current policy of the United States that intercontinental 
        ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic 
        missiles, and long-range nuclear-armed bombers play a critical 
        role in the defense capabilities of the United States, its 
        allies, and friends.
            (3) The dispersed and alert Minuteman III intercontinental 
        ballistic missile system provides the most responsive, 
        stabilizing, and cost-effective strategic force.
            (4) Section 139 of the John Warner National Defense 
        Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (Public Law 109-364; 120 
        Stat. 2114) requires the Secretary of the Air Force to 
        modernize Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles in 
        the United States inventory so as to maintain a sufficient 
        supply of launch test assets and spares to sustain the deployed 
        force of such missiles through 2030.
            (5) The modernization program for the Minuteman III 
        intercontinental ballistic missile is nearing completion. Once 
        that program is complete, there will be no program to sustain 
        the capability of the United States industrial base to 
        modernize or replace the intercontinental ballistic missiles 
        that constitute the sole land-based strategic deterrent system 
        of the United States.
            (6) As an example, motor production for the Minuteman III 
        Propulsion Replacement Program (PRP) is currently scheduled to 
        end in fiscal year 2009. Once the PRP program ends, the 
        capacity of the United States industrial base to respond to 
        matters arising from the aging and obsolescence of Minuteman 
        III intercontinental ballistic missiles will be extremely 
        diminished, decades-worth of critical program knowledge may be 
        lost, and the current design of the Minuteman III 
        intercontinental ballistic missile is likely to no longer be 
        reproducible.

SEC. 3. REPORT ON CAPABILITIES FOR SUSTAINMENT OF THE MINUTEMAN III 
              INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE.

    (a) Report Required.--Not later than March 1, 2008, the Secretary 
of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a 
report on the capability of the United States industrial base to 
achieve each of the following:
            (1) To maintain, modernize, and sustain the Minuteman III 
        intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system until at least 
        2030.
            (2) To replace the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic 
        missile with a follow-on land-based strategic deterrent system 
        after 2030.
    (b) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall include 
the following:
            (1) A description of any current plans for extending the 
        Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile system after 
        the period from 2020 to 2030, including plans for testing 
        sufficient to account for any aging and obsolescence found in 
        the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile during the 
        remaining life of the system, and an assessment of the risks 
        associated with such plans after the shutdown of associated 
        production lines.
            (2) A description of any current plans to maintain the 
        Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile system after 
        2030, including an assessment of any risks associated with such 
        plans after the shutdown of associated production lines.
            (3) An explanation why the Minuteman III intercontinental 
        ballistic missile system, the only United States land-based 
        strategic deterrent system, is no longer considered to be of 
        the highest national defense urgency, as indicated by inclusion 
        of the system on the so-called ``DX-Rated Program List'' while 
        the sea-based strategic deterrent system, the Trident II D5 
        missile system, is still on the so-called ``DX-list''.
            (4) An analysis of existing commonalities between the 
        service life extension program for the Trident II D5 missile 
        system and any equivalent planned service life extension 
        program for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic 
        missile system, including an analysis of the impact on 
        materials, the supplier base, production facilities, and the 
        production workforce of extending all or part of the service 
        life extension program for the Trident II D5 missile system to 
        a service life extension program for the Minuteman III 
        intercontinental ballistic missile system.
            (5) An assessment of the adequacy of current and 
        anticipated programs, such as missile defense, space launch, 
        and prompt global strike programs, to support the industrial 
        base for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile 
        system, including an analysis of the impact on materials, the 
        supplier base, production facilities, and the production 
        workforce of extending all or part of any such program to the 
        program for the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic 
        missile system.
    (c) Comptroller General Review.--Not later than 60 days after 
submittal under subsection (a) of the report required by that 
subsection, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit 
to the congressional defense committees a report setting forth the 
Comptroller General's assessment of the matters contained in the report 
under subsection (a), including an assessment of the consistency of the 
budget of the President for fiscal year 2009, as submitted to Congress 
pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, with the 
matters contained in the report under subsection (a).
    (d) Congressional Defense Committees Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``congressional defense committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
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