Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0605238F/ — built September 26, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Ground Based Strategic Deterrent EMD
Watch this program
Budget figures
$2.65B discretionary + $1.50B one-time reconciliation. Discretionary change vs FY2025 enacted: +31.7%.
Two official figures, one label— reconciled below
Fiscal Receipts uses P-1/R-1 workbook total obligation authority (TOA) as the headline figure sitewide. The workbook TOA includes budget rows that the R-2/P-40 J-book program line excludes — advance procurement in an ordinary year, and in FY2026 the one-time reconciliation appropriation as well. Each row below names the one it is. How the two bases relate →
FY26 Request · $4.15B TOA − $2.65B J-book line = 1.50B (4,147.6 − 2,647.6 = 1,500.0) — $1.50B of one-time FY2026 reconciliation money accounts for this gap — not advance procurement
Figures in the sentence are rounded for reading; the parenthesised arithmetic is the same subtraction in USD millions, at the precision where it closes.
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USAspending reports awards on a rolling basis, and this corpus runs through 2026-09-04. why partial FY2026 data? →
Budget trajectory
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $4.33B |
| FY25 | $2.01B |
| FY26 | $4.15B |
All series figures: R-1 TOA · PB2026
Decade view
P-1/R-1 workbook TOA basis, shown compact in $B/$M (the workbook records USD thousands); each figure cites its own President's Budget edition
The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $0 | $0 | $3.43B | $4.33B | ||
| Enacted | – | $0 | $3.61B | $3.75B | $2.01B | |
| Request | – | – | $3.61B | $3.75B | $3.72B | $4.15B |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2024 book requested $3.75B for FY2024; the PB2026 book reported $4.33B as actual total obligation authority — $580.3M above the request. 4,327.25 − 3,746.93 = 580.32 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.
Program lineage
No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.
Description
Mission — GROUND BASED STRATEGIC DETERRENT (GBSD)
The GBSD program has been designated as the LGM-35A Sentinel. The LGM-35A Sentinel weapon system, being developed in the Sentinel Systems Program Office of the ICBM Systems Directorate, incorporates the Sentinel weapon system which is called out in related ICBM Systems Directorate portfolio programs that includes Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Reentry Vehicles and ICBM Fuze Modernization. The LGM-35A Sentinel program is modernizing the U.S. ground-based nuclear deterrent by replacing the aging Minuteman III ICBM system. The Sentinel program will develop, produce, and deploy a fully integrated ICBM weapon system designed for enhanced safety, security, reliability, and effectiveness. This next-generation system aims to lower lifecycle costs while closing key capability gaps and addressing vulnerabilities identified in prior assessments. The program also mitigates the diminishing effectiveness of the current land-based deterrent caused by the age and obsolescence of Minuteman III components. Integrated with the Minuteman III program office within the ICBM Systems Directorate, the Sentinel program will manage the complex transition between systems. This includes overseeing contractor development of essential support equipment, data systems, flight test infrastructure, and training systems. Throughout this process, the program prioritizes risk mitigation and ensures adherence to strict nuclear surety, certification, and vulnerability assessment protocols. Key technical areas include: Flight Systems (missile boosters, re-entry vehicle, and guidance systems); Command & Launch (secure and reliable communication and control systems); Infrastructure & Deployment (training, maintenance, and launch infrastructure; fielding and system deployment); Software (robust and resilient weapon system software ecosystem); Systems Engineering (overall system design, cybersecurity, and modular architectures); and Test (developmental, operational, and live fire testing for safety and effectiveness). Effective program management will leverage digital engineering capabilities, oversee program execution, and manage major contracts. The FY 2026 funding will continue execution of the prime contract and advance key Sentinel program activities. These include systems engineering, IT infrastructure, data management, and analytical capabilities necessary to deliver a flexible, integrated weapon system critical design. Resources will be allocated to modernize analytical environments and laboratories, establish a collaborative digital engineering ecosystem, and continue development of air vehicle equipment, command and launch systems, cybersecurity infrastructure, training systems, security architecture, transportation subsystems, specialized support equipment, and associated ground technologies. Software development, integration, modular architecture design, and product lifecycle management will also be refined, along with strengthening the certification strategy for nuclear surety, cybersecurity, and nuclear safety. Further development of test capabilities at Vandenberg Space Force Base and the Western Range, supporting both developmental and operational testing. The program will also continue development of capabilities to meet the requirement for dual-capable, air-based, secondary launch platform. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability. The use of such programs funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605827F, 0605828F, 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605832F, 0605833F, 0605898F, 0606398F. In FY 2024 9.538M was expended for civilian pay expenses in this program element, and in FY 2025 40.000M is forecasted for civilian pay expenses in this program element. This program is in Budget Activity 5, System Development and Demonstration (SDD) because it has passed Milestone B approval and is conducting engineering and manufacturing development tasks aimed at meeting validated requirements prior to full rate production.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (7)
Flight Systems
This effort centers on maturing the weapon flight system's design, technology, and lifecycle support capabilities for the aerospace vehicle equipment (AVE), which includes the missile boosters, re-entry vehicle, and missile guidance systems.
Command & Launch
This effort includes the design, development, integration, test and certification of the Command & Launch (C&L) systems for the Sentinel weapon system to ensure a robust communications design, security, availability, reliability, and ability to hold targets at risk.
Infrastructure & Deployment
This effort focuses on planning, programming, and executing the Sentinel infrastructure development, integration of transition and deployment activities, resources, and timing of the weapon system deployment.
Software
Software includes establishing and maintaining a robust and resilient software ecosystem by owning and managing the complete Sentinel software baseline, architecture, design, and modularity. This includes defining, controlling, and optimizing all digital interfaces, ensuring seamless integration and interoperability.
Systems Engineering
System Engineering will mature systems engineering, cybersecurity, and modular architectures through rigorous testing and analysis. Verification and validation of external interface management, systems architecture, modelling and simulation, and establishing a framework for weapon system effectivity reporting.
Test
Test prioritizes developing, modernizing, and preparing robust test strategy and capabilities to support the weapon system throughout its entire lifecycle, encompassing risk reduction, developmental, operational, and live fire testing to satisfy test statutory and regulatory requirements. Informs Operational Safety, Suitability, and Effectiveness (OSS&E) determinations.
Government Support
Implement robust and efficient processes, governance, and capabilities to manage program execution and oversight, to include maturing emerging digital capabilities, providing program digital infrastructure, and managing major program contracts.
Budget line items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY24 Actuals | $4.33B |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Enacted | $2.01B |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY25 Total | $2.01B |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Disc. Request | $2.65B |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Reconciliation | $1.50B |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force | F | FY26 Total | $4.15B |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget figures shows both.
Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.
| Project | All Prior Years | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $3.43B | $4.33B | $2.01B | $2.65B | $2.65B |
| 655238: GROUND BASED STRATEGIC DETERRENT (GBSD) | $3.43B | $4.33B | $2.01B | $2.65B | $2.65B |
Follow the dollar
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 312 of 1,938 programs). why coverage is partial? →
Related awards
Award linkage is shown for 32 of 200 profiled companies — high- and medium-confidence USAspending matches, each row labeled; medium is the weaker evidence. why partial award coverage? →
Rows marked medium rest on evidence weaker than a program-level match, and of more than one kind. An account-based row, where the award drew from the same appropriation account as this program, is an association, not evidence that this program paid for the contract. Where the evidence is instead an FPDS acquisition-program tag or a subaward description, the program is established but which of its budget lines paid is not. An announcement link a recorded review did not leave standing is medium too. Only high rows rest on the contract naming this program with a recorded review upholding it and no recorded rejection or refutation applying.
| Recipient | PIID | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| BOXX MODULAR, INC. | FA821918C0010 | medium |
| DARK WOLF SOLUTIONS, LLC | FA701420F0050 | medium |
| NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORP | FA821920C0006 | medium |
Contractor concentration
No concentration index is published for this line. This line's high-confidence links do not clear the floor for a published concentration index — at least 3 awards across 2 contractor families holding positive obligations, with positive net linked dollars. An index below that floor is a fact about the sample, not about the market. Whatever further links this line carries are medium-confidence, and what each medium evidence path does and does not establish is set out in the methodology. Both bases are in the downloadable warehouse.
Lobbying mentions
10 mentions from the Senate LDA disclosure database.
HR 9495 - FY27 Defense Appropriations bill - B-21, Triton, Global Hawk, E-2D HR 8800 - FY27 DOD Authorization bill…
HR 4016/S 2572 - FY26 Defense Appropriations bill - B-21, Triton, Global Hawk, E-2D HR 3838/S 2296 - FY26 DOD…
HR 4016 - FY26 Defense Appropriations bill - B-21, Triton, Global Hawk, E-2D FY26 DOD Authorization bill - GBSD, B-21…
HR 4016/S 2572 - FY26 Defense Appropriations bill - B-21, Triton, Global Hawk, E-2D HR 3838/S 2296 - FY26 DOD…
HR 8774/S. 4921 - FY25 Defense Appropriations bill - B-21, Triton, Global Hawk, E-2D HR 8070/S 4638 - FY25 DOD…
HR 4016/S 2572 - FY26 Defense Appropriations bill - B-21, Triton, Global Hawk, E-2D HR 3838/S 2296 - FY26 DOD…
HR 8774 / S 4921 - FY25 Defense Appropriations bill - B-21, Triton, Global Hawk, E-2D HR 8070 / S 4638 - FY25 DOD…
HR 8774 - FY25 Defense Appropriations bill - B-21, Triton, Global Hawk, E-2D HR 8070/S 4638 - FY25 DOD Authorization…
HR 8774 / S 4921 - FY25 Defense Appropriations bill - B-21, Triton, Global Hawk, E-2D HR 8070 / S 4638 - FY25 DOD…
HR 4365/S 2587 - FY24 Defense Appropriations bill - B-21, Triton, Global Hawk, E-2D HR 2670/S 2226 - FY24 DOD…
Oversight
Department-level designation (not specific to this program)
GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not Ground Based Strategic Deterrent EMD. No program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
Program dossier
Every sentence below carries its citation — warehouse figures open the citation panel, news claims link the cached source.
Research dossiers exist for 50 of 1,938 programs — the 50 largest fully J-book-detailed programs by FY2026 request. why no dossier here? →
What it is
- Ground Based Strategic Deterrent EMD (program element 0605238F) is a U.S. Air Force engineering-and-manufacturing-development program funded in the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force account.
- The program has been designated the LGM-35A Sentinel and is modernizing the U.S. ground-based nuclear deterrent by replacing the aging Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system.
- Sentinel is being developed in the Sentinel Systems Program Office of the Air Force's ICBM Systems Directorate, which will develop, produce, and deploy a fully integrated ICBM weapon system designed for enhanced safety, security, reliability, and effectiveness while lowering lifecycle costs.
- Key technical areas include Flight Systems — maturing the missile boosters, re-entry vehicle, and guidance systems that make up the aerospace vehicle equipment.
- The Command & Launch effort covers the design, development, integration, test, and certification of the secure communications and control systems needed to hold targets at risk.
- The Software effort owns and manages the complete Sentinel software baseline, architecture, and modularity to ensure seamless integration and interoperability across the weapon system.
- The Test effort develops robust developmental, operational, and live-fire test capabilities across the weapon system's lifecycle to satisfy statutory and regulatory requirements and inform Operational Safety, Suitability, and Effectiveness determinations.
Why it matters
- The program's total funding more than doubles from $2,011,024 thousand (about $2.0 billion) in FY2025 to $4,147,563 thousand (about $4.1 billion) requested for FY2026.
- That is a year-over-year increase of $2,136,539 thousand (about $2.1 billion) from FY2025 to FY2026.
- In FY2024 the program recorded actual spending of $4,327,250 thousand (about $4.3 billion), so the FY2026 request roughly restores funding to its FY2024 level after a lower FY2025.
- The FY2026 request splits into a discretionary request of $2,647,563 thousand (about $2.6 billion) and a reconciliation (mandatory) request of $1,500,000 thousand (about $1.5 billion).
- The $1,500,000 thousand reconciliation request is additional mandatory funding on top of the discretionary base, together making up the program's $4,147,563 thousand FY2026 total.
- The discretionary portion of the request flows through the single named Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) project, funded at $2,647.563 million for the budget year.
- A Fiscal Receipts feed event flagged Ground Based Strategic Deterrent EMD as increasing 106% from FY2025 to FY2026, one of the larger year-over-year swings in the budget.
Key players
- The program is run by the U.S. Air Force, with funding drawn from the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force appropriation.
- Development is led by the Sentinel Systems Program Office within the Air Force's ICBM Systems Directorate, which also integrates the effort with the Minuteman III program office to manage the complex transition between the two ICBM systems.
- The Government Support effort funds the processes, governance, and program-management capabilities used to oversee contractor development and manage the program's major contracts.
Primary sources
Open any budget figure for its exact receipt. Verified line items lead with the highlighted government PDF; original spreadsheets download with their budget edition and exhibit in the filename.
Budget totals · TOA sources
FY2026 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J603
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2026_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2023 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J574
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2023_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2024 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J569
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2024_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
FY2025 Department of Defense Budget: RDT&E Programs (R-1) · comptroller.war.gov
Exhibit R-1 · J584
Complete workbook · unchanged saved copy. Saves as PB2025_DoD_R-1_Research-Development-Test-Evaluation.xlsx.
Detailed budget justification
The related TOA spreadsheets above use a different accounting basis from R-2/P-40 detail. Their amounts are not assumed to match these detailed sources.
FY2026 Air Force Research and Development Test and Evaluation, Vol. I · www.saffm.hq.af.mil
PDF page 16