Trump and DOGE Want To Cut Waste? This Upcoming Test Launch of a Nuclear Missile Is All Waste – and Dangerous Folly

If President Trump and Elon Musk want to cut federal waste, they should listen to activists who’ve been targeting the land-based leg of the nuclear triad for decades.

By Ryan Black

At a press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, President Trump once again reiterated his desire to cut military spending. He stated that the United States, Russia, and China should reduce their “defense” budgets in order to focus on more productive things.

“It doesn’t really make sense, does it? We’re spending the money against each other and we could spend that money for better purposes if we get along,” Trump said. “And I’ll tell you, I think that something like that will happen.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a town hall with troops at the Pentagon, also hinted at military program cuts. And Trump says DOGE will look at the Pentagon.

Trump was more specific when discussing nuclear weapons. “There’s no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons. We already have so many you could destroy the world 50 times over or 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and [Russia] is building new nuclear weapons, and China is building new nuclear weapons.”

Trump is right about the danger of nuclear weapons. (However, during his first presidency, he withdrew the U.S. from the vital Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces and Open Skies treaties.) If he is serious at all about his supposed goal of cutting military spending, “getting along” with Russia and China, and not wanting to build new nuclear weapons, a very effective way to achieve all three would be to eliminate intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) right now.

The Burdens and Redundancy of Possessing ICBMs

The elimination of ICBMs would not risk U.S. security. According to research by the Quincy Institute, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and generals like George Lee Butler and James E. Cartwright, these land-based nuclear weapons are redundant. They represent an outdated Cold War strategy that massively increases the risk of nuclear war. Because their locations are well-known and vulnerable, they are sitting targets for attacks.

Unfortunately, there’s little time to spare if Trump is to eliminate them. The Pentagon is developing the next generation of ICBMs right now. The new fleet of 659 ICBMs, dubbed the Sentinel Program, comes with a staggering price tag of over $264 billion for its lifetime. This program is part of a larger nuclear “modernization” effort for which the Pentagon is planning to bill U.S. taxpayers more than $1.5 trillion over the next 30 years as it replaces all of its nuclear missiles with new ones.

The current U.S. nuclear “deterrent” consists of three legs: land-based ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and air-launched nuclear weapons. ICBMs, stored in underground silos across Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska, are the most vulnerable component of this system. Unlike nuclear-armed submarines, which remain hidden beneath the ocean, or bombers, which can be dispersed and recalled, silo-based ICBMs are stationary and can be easily targeted in the event of a conflict.

Beyond the financial burden and immediate risk to states in middle America, ICBMs pose a significant risk of causing an accidental nuclear war. These missiles are maintained on high alert and are designed for rapid launch in the event of a real or perceived attack. This “hair trigger” posture makes the risk of miscalculation due to false alarms or cyberattacks untenable. Numerous false alarms have nearly resulted in nuclear launches. ICBM launches cannot be recalled.

Both Russia and the United States continue to justify the existence of their ICBM forces based on the presence of the others. However, this mutual deterrence paradox only serves to perpetuate the risk of nuclear war.

If the U.S. took the lead in eliminating the redundant ICBMs — an action which adds no risk to national security — it could open the door to reciprocal reductions by Russia and China. These efforts would dramatically reduce the threat of an accidental nuclear conflict.

Scheduled ICBM Test from Vandenberg Space Force Base

Activists are well aware of ICBM wastefulness. Every few months, the U.S. tests its current ICBM capabilities from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Lompoc, California. These tests are met with protests from activists who contend that such launches normalize the potential use of nuclear weapons. Activists convene, by car and by bus, at Vandenberg to protest the test launches, which usually take place in the early morning hours.

The next test launch is scheduled to take place in a window between February 18 at 11:01 PM and February 19th at 5:01 AM local time.

Activists are once again planning to protest the ICBM test launch.

MacGregor Eddy, a longtime Vandenberg protest organizer, said: “You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to oppose a rocket launch. Don’t be intimidated by experts, these tests are stupid and dangerous.”

Previous protests at Vandenberg have been met with aggressive countermeasures. In 2012, famed Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg was arrested protesting ICBMs there. More recent retaliations against protesters include sprinklers being turned on and total cell phone service blackouts.

But the protesters are undeterred, their message remains the same, and their numbers continue to grow.

Scott Yundt, Executive Director at Tri-Valley CAREs, says the ICBM test launches at Vandenberg “only serve to provoke other nuclear weapon states.”

He says that “ICBMs are not just proliferation provocative, they are extremely expensive, vulnerable to attack, and redundant of capabilities of the submarine leg of the nuclear triad.” And that the development of new ICBMs “escalates the new nuclear arms race.”

Eddy added, “Even the military did not want the ICBMs. The weapons producers lobbied for the hugely expensive Sentinel ICBM replacement. It’s a jobs program from hell.”

If Trump is genuine in his desire to cut military spending and reduce tensions with Russia and China, and DOGE is serious about eliminating waste, they should listen to the activists at Vandenberg and eliminate ICBMs. Not only would this move save billions of dollars, it would also decrease the risk of nuclear miscalculations and set a precedent for arms reduction talks with other nuclear powers.

Eliminating ICBMs is not just a matter of fiscal responsibility—it is a huge step toward reducing the threat of nuclear catastrophe and building a safer future. Until ICBMs are eliminated, activists will continue to protest these wasteful, redundant, and dangerous test launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base. With or without lip service from Donald Trump.

Eddy said: “These horrible weapons were made by us, and we can eliminate them. Join us in our vision of a world without war or preparations for war.”

To learn more or get involved with Vandenberg ICBM activism, visit DefuseNuclearWar.org/ICBMs.

Ryan Black is a film maker, writer, and multimedia content creator. He is the organizing director at RootsAction.org and co-coordinator of the Defuse Nuclear War coalition.