Nuclear weapons costs detailed

Over the next 10 years, the US will spend $355 billion for nuclear weapons, including $105 billion at Department of Energy national laboratories and facilities for warheads, naval reactors, and operations, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis. The watchdog agency projects that between 2014 and 2023, DOE will spend an additional $74 billion on nuclear weapons legacy costs, including $67 billion for environmental and cleanup costs at weapons facilities. For fiscal year 2014, DOE requested $8.3 billion to support nuclear weapons–related work, while the Department of Defense requested $14.9 billion for nuclear forces.

According to the analysis, the sea-based nuclear force, which will require an estimated $82 billion to maintain and modernize during the next 10 years, will be the most expensive component of the nuclear triad. Much of that is to pay for two new ballistic missile submarines. The cost for the land-based force is estimated at $24 billion, while the bomber force is expected to cost $40 billion.