Minuteman III Replacement Could Fall Under Budget Ax.

• Position: BUDGET MATTERS

The program to replace aging Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles could be trimmed as lawmakers try to shave costs from the U.S. nuclear arsenal, according to officials and analysts.

Defense officials say the new Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, or GBSD, is needed as legacy systems become more difficult and expensive to maintain. But the new ICBMs are viewed by many observers as the most likely component of the nuclear triad to be cut by policymakers who seek to rein in the growing costs of the nation's strategic weapons.

"We need to modernize our nuclear force and our nuclear deterrent--that's not debatable," House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said at a recent conference hosted by McAleese & Associates and Credit Suisse. "The question is how much do we spend?"

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the total cost of the strategic arsenal will be $325 billion between 2019 and 2026, with the annual bill further increasing in subsequent years as the Pentagon fields next-generation systems.

The GBSD program has been projected to cost $85 billion; the Navy's Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program $102 billion; and the Air Force's B-21 stealth bomber program $97 billion. The president's fiscal year 2020 budget request included $570 million for the GBSD.

"We can save money on the nuclear deterrent," Smith said. "We can't do everything we're...