According to the Los Alamos Study Group, the White House is proposing a 25% increase in funding for the development of seven new versions of the B61-13 gravity bomb in 2026.
The Los Alamos Study Group claims the White House is suggesting a nuclear bomb development spending increase that hasn’t been seen since the Cold War.
The nuclear disarmament activist group came to this conclusion based on a technical supplement to the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, as well as congressional testimonies from several high-ranking officials that were released late last month.
In a press release on Wednesday, the group estimated that President Donald Trump’s administration is requesting $4.782 billion for the ‘Weapons Activities’ portion of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) budget. This is the main source of funding for the development, construction, and modernization of US nuclear warheads and bombs.
The activists stated that an additional $1.884 billion was allocated to the NNSA in fiscal year 2025 to cover the damage caused to its facilities by two hurricanes. This sum, which has apparently not yet been spent, was not included in the budget details under consideration.
The Los Alamos Study Group argues that if this emergency funding is excluded, the warhead budget proposed by the White House for 2026 would represent a 25% year-on-year increase – the largest increase since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
If the $1.884 billion is included, the year-on-year increase would be 17%, a level not seen since 1982.
Congress is expected to vote on the proposed spending increase later this year.
In mid-May, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced that the NNSA had finished manufacturing the first B61-13 gravity bomb approximately a year ahead of schedule. It is the latest modification to the B61 family of nuclear bombs, which has been in service the longest of the key components of the US nuclear triad’s air component, with production dating back to 1968.
The warhead is equipped with newer electronics and control features, including a tail kit that effectively turns it into a guided munition. Its maximum yield is reportedly around 360 kilotons, which is 24 times the yield of the bomb the US dropped on Hiroshima.
When commissioned, the B61-13 is expected to be among the most powerful nuclear gravity bombs in the US arsenal. According to several media outlets, citing unnamed officials, its destructive force would make it the preferred weapon for targeting underground command and control facilities.
Currently, six more new modifications of the B61 bomb family are in development.
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