# LGM-35A Sentinel
## Real progress. A program still being reset.
**The original commitment was initial operational capability in June 2029. The Air Force now targets an initial capability in the early 2030s.** Between those positions came a critical cost breach, a decision to continue the program and the withdrawal of its development approval. A replacement cost-and-schedule baseline is not established by the records reviewed for this edition. [N01 · p. 11](#source-n01), [N02](#source-n02), [N03 · pp. 91–92](#source-n03), [N04](#source-n04)
There are tangible results: construction starts and, reported September 14, 2026, a completed **inert missile assembly** and a design review specifically for first flight. But those receipts are not a flown missile, an operational declaration or proof that the reset has solved the program's cost and schedule problems. [N05](#source-n05)
| Original objective | Current target | Reported result |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IOC June 2029 | Initial capability early 2030s | Inert assembly reported September 14, 2026 |
| [N01](#source-n01) | [N04](#source-n04) [N05](#source-n05) | [N05](#source-n05) |
**Edition 1.0 · Reviewed September 24, 2026 · Evidence cutoff 06:55:44 EDT / 10:55:44 UTC.** Selected public acquisition records, not live status. The original baseline, historical estimates, newer targets and reported outcomes retain their own dates.
## The original promise survives the reset
Sentinel, formerly Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), is a replacement program for the Minuteman III system and its supporting infrastructure—not simply a purchase of missile bodies. The September 2020 acquisition baseline preserved in the MSAR planned **659 end items: 25 development and 634 procurement**. That accounting quantity is not a count of deployed or operational missiles. [N01 · p. 13](#source-n01)
| Milestone | 2020 objective / threshold | Pre-review forecast | Latest reviewed position |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| System critical design review | Jul 2023 / Jul 2024 | May 2024 (not current) | New full-system date not established in this edition. The September 2026 review was specific to first flight. [N01](#source-n01) [N03](#source-n03) [N05](#source-n05) |
| Milestone C / low-rate production decision | May 2026 / May 2027 | Jan 2026 (not current) | TBD in GAO's rebaseline assessment; no achieved production decision established here. [N01](#source-n01) [N03](#source-n03) |
| Initial operational capability | Jun 2029 / Jun 2030 | May 2029 (not current) | Early-2030s initial-capability target; no exact replacement date or IOC declaration established here. [N01](#source-n01) [N04](#source-n04) [N05](#source-n05) |
| Full-rate production decision | Sep 2029 / Sep 2030 | Jul 2029 (not current) | TBD in GAO's rebaseline assessment; not inferred from early-2030s initial capability. [N01](#source-n01) [N03](#source-n03) |
The original objective and threshold are different. So is the MSAR's **May 2029 forecast**: it was an estimate, not the original June 2029 commitment. The report explicitly says its schedule estimates were under review. This edition does not promote those stale estimates into a current schedule or assign an exact month to “early 2030s.” Nor does it equate that announced initial-capability target with a documented, unchanged definition of formal IOC. [N01 · p. 11](#source-n01), [N04](#source-n04), [N05](#source-n05)
The Air Force notified Congress of a critical unit-cost breach on **January 18, 2024**. In July, DoD certified that the program met the criteria to continue, **rescinded Milestone B** and directed restructuring. These were consequential management decisions, not operational milestones. In February 2026 the Air Force targeted a new Milestone B decision by year-end; GAO's July publication still described evolving estimates. A subsequently signed replacement baseline was not established in this review. [N02](#source-n02), [N03 · p. 92](#source-n03), [N04](#source-n04)
**A date discrepancy is retained, not silently repaired.** The MSAR's history gives September 4, 2020 for Milestone B, its schedule table records September 1, and GAO uses a September 15 development-start reference for its practices assessment. The baseline table is explicitly dated September 4; the timeline uses September 2020. None of these day labels changes the June 2029 original IOC objective. [N01 · pp. 9, 11](#source-n01), [N03 · p. 91](#source-n03)
### “First flight” changed scope
| Reference | Date / scope | Interpretation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Earlier plan | March 2028 · silo-based first flight | Historical plan retained by February GAO snapshot. [N12](#source-n12) [N03](#source-n03) |
| Revised early test | 2027 · pad-based flight | Changed initial scope; not the same test brought forward. [N03](#source-n03) |
| Revised silo-based test | Q3 FY2030 · April–June 2030 | Silo-based first-flight target; not an operational declaration. [N03](#source-n03) |
GAO's February snapshot preserved a **March 2028** first-flight plan. Its later annual assessment explains that the revised **2027** plan uses an above-ground launch pad with a reduced initial test scope; the first silo-based flight is instead targeted for **Q3 FY2030 (April–June 2030)**. These are not like-for-like dates for the same test. Earlier learning may be useful, but moving one event forward is not proof that the original full-system milestone has recovered. The September announcement still described flight testing as future work. [N12 · p. 1](#source-n12), [N03 · p. 92](#source-n03), [N05](#source-n05)
## A dated program history
Actual entries identify what was reported: an award, a decision, a construction start or a test-related event. Publication dates are labeled where the precise event day is unavailable. A publication containing a forecast is not an achieved forecast.
| Date | Type / status | Event and significance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sep 2020 | Baseline / Original commitment | **Original development commitment.** The September 2020 baseline set June 2029 IOC and a June 2030 threshold. Month precision avoids conflicting day fields in later reports. [N01](#source-n01) |
| Sep 8, 2020 | Contract / Reported event | **Development contract awarded.** $13.293562839bn award; $85m obligated at award. Neither is total lifetime program spending. [N07](#source-n07) |
| Dec 11, 2023 | Reset / Reported event | **Program deviation report signed.** Cost and schedule deviations were formally reported. The original baseline remained visible. [N01](#source-n01) |
| Jan 18, 2024 | Reset / Reported event | **Critical cost breach notified to Congress.** The notification triggered the review. Its initial percentages differ slightly from the later budget-index-adjusted figures. [N01](#source-n01) |
| Jul 8, 2024 | Reset / Reported event | **Continuation certified; Milestone B rescinded.** DoD announced the continuation decision and ordered restructuring. Certification was not delivery or approval of a final replacement baseline. [N02](#source-n02) |
| Feb 17, 2026 | Plan / Reported event | **Air Force publishes reset targets.** End-2026 Milestone B and early-2030s initial capability remain announced plans, not achieved milestones. [N04](#source-n04) |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Construction / Reported event | **Silo prototype groundbreaking reported.** Reported by this publication date; no exact groundbreaking day is assigned. Prototype work does not establish completed operational facilities. [N09](#source-n09) |
| Jun 10, 2026 | Contract / Reported event | **Training facility contract awarded.** $113.852388m award and reported obligation for a facility, not an operational missile. [N08](#source-n08) |
| Jun 24, 2026 | Construction / Reported event | **Utility-corridor pilot breaks ground.** Event reported in July; construction beginning is not network completion. [N10](#source-n10) |
| Jul 2, 2026 | Oversight / Reported event | **GAO explains the changed flight-test plan.** The 2027 pad-based target and FY2030 silo-based target are different test scopes. This is the report's publication date. [N03](#source-n03) |
| Aug 17, 2026 | Construction / Reported event | **Training-unit groundbreaking.** September 1 reporting describes an August 17 event and an early-2030s facility opening target. [N11](#source-n11) |
| Sep 14, 2026 | Test / Reported event | **Inert assembly milestone reported.** The Air Force reports completed inert vertical assembly and a first-flight-specific review. No flight or IOC is established by this receipt. [N05](#source-n05) |
| End 2026 | Plan / Forecast | **New Milestone B target.** A planned decision, not a signed decision established in this edition. [N04](#source-n04) |
| 2027 | Test / Forecast | **Pad-based first-flight target.** Different scope from the previously described silo-based first flight; not an achieved flight. [N03](#source-n03) |
| FY2030 Q3 | Test / Forecast | **Silo-based first-flight target.** April–June 2030 in the U.S. fiscal calendar; not the early-2030s initial-capability target. [N03](#source-n03) |
| Early 2030s | Plan / Forecast | **Initial-capability target.** Broad planning window; do not assign a precise replacement IOC date or month-delay statistic. [N05](#source-n05) |
## The cost increase that can be compared
The MSAR supplies a reproducible **historical, same-dollar comparison**: the September 2020 baseline of **$77.7407 billion** versus a **$106.4269 billion** pre-recertification estimate, both in constant FY2020 dollars and both covering 659 end items. That is **$28.6862 billion, or 36.90%, higher**. This is the PB2025 estimate in a report labeled December 2023—not a newly approved 2026 cost estimate. [N01 · pp. 13, 16](#source-n01)
[Chart PNG](sentinel-historical-costs.png) · [CSV](sentinel-costs.csv) · [Calculation](sentinel-calculations.json).
| Category | 2020 baseline ($m) | Pre-review estimate ($m) | Change ($m) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| RDT&E | 22,978.0 | 28,893.6 | +5,915.6 |
| Procurement | 47,858.4 | 57,665.4 | +9,807.0 |
| Military construction | 6,904.3 | 18,950.1 | +12,045.8 |
| Acquisition O&M | 0.0 | 917.8 | +917.8 |
| **Total · constant FY2020 dollars** | **77,740.7** | **106,426.9** | **+28,686.2** [N01](#source-n01) |
**Military construction accounts for about 42.0% of that historical increase:** $12.0458 billion of $28.6862 billion. This is arithmetic from the four reported cost categories, not a causal attribution of overruns. The military-construction account also is not identical to the broader command-and-launch segment identified in the later review. Source values, units and calculations are available in the downloadable data. [N01 · p. 13](#source-n01), [N02](#source-n02)
### Why the later $140.9 billion is shown separately
The July 2024 announcement reported a **$140.9 billion** CAPE acquisition estimate for a modified program and described it as **81% above** the previous Milestone B estimate. We preserve those as **DoD's reported figures**. The release does not explicitly state their dollar basis; this edition does not independently harmonize them with the MSAR's constant-2020 or then-year series. The MSAR's separate **$152.413 billion then-year estimate** therefore cannot be placed against $140.9 billion and labeled a saving. [N02](#source-n02), [N01 · p. 13](#source-n01)
GAO's 2026 assessment marks its current cost row **under review**, and says the reliability of the preliminary reset estimates remains unclear until the process and new Milestone B are completed. Missing final estimates are not zero. All these numbers are acquisition estimates—not cash spent, a lifetime sustainment bill, or a price per deployed missile. [N03 · pp. 91–92](#source-n03)
### Selected funding, with its stage attached
| Fiscal year / scope | USD million | Stage | Receipt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **FY2025 · GBSD EMD.** R-1 historical funding position; not cash disbursed. | 1,942.400 | Source-reported FY2025 Actuals (TOA) | [N06](#source-n06) |
| **FY2026 · GBSD EMD.** Base-budget funding position shown in the April 2026 exhibit. | 2,616.352 | Discretionary enacted | [N06](#source-n06) |
| **FY2026 · GBSD EMD.** Mandatory allocation component, not an obligation or outlay. | 2,189.000 | P.L.119-21 spend plan | [N06](#source-n06) |
| **FY2026 · GBSD EMD.** Sum of the preceding two FY2026 components; do not add it to them again. | 4,805.352 | Displayed total | [N06](#source-n06) |
| **FY2027 · GBSD EMD.** Proposed discretionary funding; not enacted funding or contract value. | 4,521.370 | Request | [N06](#source-n06) |
These rows cover only **Air Force RDT&E account 3600F, PE 0605238F, GBSD EMD**. The FY2026 displayed total is the sum of discretionary enacted funding and the P.L. 119-21 spend-plan component; it is not a third pot to add again. FY2025 “Actuals” is the budget exhibit's total-obligational-authority presentation, not a transaction-level outlay measure. FY2027 is a **request**. Military construction, other accounts and Minuteman III sustainment are not silently folded into this selected line. [N06 · printed p. 42](#source-n06)
The historical MSAR funding summary labels its full $152.413 billion estimated acquisition appropriations as appropriated to date, or 100%, while separately reporting $8.8989 billion of expenditures. That internally awkward summary is **not used here as verified congressional funding completion or a reconciled cash ledger**. The dated, account-specific records above support a narrower claim. [N01 · pp. 13, 24](#source-n01)
## Contracts are not the program's price tag
| Date / action | Award value ($m) | Obligated at award ($m) | Scope / source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Sep 8, 2020 · Northrop Grumman EMD award.** `FA8219-20-C-0006` | 13,293.562839 | 85 | Cost-plus-incentive-fee. Development award, not total program cost; February 2029 was the award's completion estimate, not IOC. [N07](#source-n07) |
| **Jun 10, 2026 · Korte Construction formal training unit.** `W912PL-26-C-A005` | 113.852388 | 113.852388 | Firm-fixed-price. Facility construction. Later Air Force reporting places facility opening in the early 2030s; scope/dates are not reconciled here. [N08](#source-n08) |
The **$13.293562839 billion development award** and its **$85 million initial obligation** describe different stages of the same action. The original contract was cost-plus-incentive-fee, not a fixed-price guarantee that development could never cost more. The later MSAR lists a historical $13.3163 billion target and different contractor/program-manager estimates at completion while warning that replanning limited the earned-value figures. None is another purchase to add to the initial award. No current aggregate contract balance is asserted here. [N07](#source-n07), [N01 · pp. 21–22](#source-n01)
The 2026 **$113.852388 million training-facility award** illustrates a separate construction commitment with the same amount reported obligated at award. It uses FY2025 funds despite the June 2026 award date. Its **March 6, 2029 estimated contract completion** differs from the Air Force's later **early-2030s facility opening** target. Construction completion and operational opening may cover different work; the reviewed evidence does not reconcile the dates or establish a contract extension. [N08](#source-n08), [N11](#source-n11)
These are selected actions, not all prime contracts, modifications, subcontracts or obligations. They are not summed into a total-program spending claim.
## What has actually happened
| Observation / date | What the evidence supports | What it does not establish |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Prototype construction · Mar 27, 2026** | Silo-prototype groundbreaking reported by the Air Force. [N09](#source-n09) | Not a completed silo, completed force or verified cost saving. |
| **Utility-corridor pilot · Jun 24, 2026** | Groundbreaking reported for the construction pilot. [N10](#source-n10) | Not a completed operational communications network. |
| **Formal training unit · Aug 17, 2026** | Groundbreaking documented; contractor named in the official release. [N11](#source-n11) | Not an opened facility or trained force; opening remains forecast. |
| **Inert integration · Sep 14, 2026** | Completed inert assembly and first-flight-specific design review reported by this publication date. [N05](#source-n05) | Not a flight, full-system operational evaluation, or initial operational capability. |
The distinction is not “nothing has happened.” Documented development and construction work are real results. The question is **which promise each receipt can close**. An inert article assembled on a test pad does not close a flight-test or operational-capability commitment. A first-flight-specific design review does not establish that the entire system's original critical design review is complete. A groundbreaking does not close a facility-delivery commitment. [N03](#source-n03), [N05](#source-n05), [N09](#source-n09), [N10](#source-n10), [N11](#source-n11)
These are agency-reported events. Program Receipts has not independently observed the tests or certified effectiveness, nuclear readiness or the eventual completion cost.
## What would close the open questions
For a later edition, the most informative receipts would be:
1. **A signed replacement baseline:** approved cost, price basis, quantity, scope and schedule—not another broad target.
2. **A flight-test result with its scope identified:** distinguish pad-based development testing from the later silo-based event and operational evaluation.
3. **A defined initial-capability declaration:** specify what was delivered and accepted, not just a date window.
4. **A reconciled funding trail:** account-specific appropriations, obligations and outlays without overlapping totals or estimates.
5. **A credible transition record:** align Sentinel fielding with continued Minuteman III support. GAO identified transition-planning risks; that is not a finding in this edition that an actual readiness gap has occurred. [N12 · p. 2](#source-n12)
**Bottom line:** the selected record supports real progress and continuing uncertainty at the same time. The original June 2029 commitment remains the reference; the reset is not itself delivery, and the reviewed evidence cannot yet settle the final price or date. [N01](#source-n01), [N02](#source-n02), [N03](#source-n03), [N05](#source-n05)
## How to read this edition
This is a finite public-record research edition, not comprehensive monitoring. Cost calculations use the explicitly labeled historical constant-FY2020 series; the newer unharmonized estimate is kept separate. Funding units were converted from thousands to millions without changing fiscal stage. No precise slip is calculated from an “early 2030s” range. Unknown current quantities, obligations, outlays and achieved IOC remain null in the data.
The official MSAR and GAO annual report were re-reviewed from hash-checked September 12 receipts after fresh access failed. The R-1 was freshly downloaded; official web articles were reviewed through indexed full-article retrieval where direct access was blocked. A source hash identifies a version, not its truth. Research, writing and verification were performed with AI assistance; arithmetic, source-table, link, browser and print checks are not independent human peer review.
All substantive content and references are available without JavaScript. Optional timeline filters change only what is displayed; printing restores all events. Downloads include the full report, a short brief, chart, typed data, calculation script and source register. See the collection [methods](https://programreceipts.com/methods) for financial and outcome definitions.
## Source appendix
### N01 · LGM-35A Sentinel Modernized Selected Acquisition Report, December 31, 2023
**U.S. Air Force / DoD · Document label Dec 31, 2023.** [Original source](https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/FOID/Reading%20Room/Selected_Acquisition_Reports/FY_2023_SARS/LGM-35A_Sentinel_MSAR_Dec_2023.pdf#page=13)
PDF/printed pp. 8–11: breach history and original schedule; p. 13: constant-2020 and then-year acquisition estimates; pp. 16–17: unit-cost changes and revised indices; p. 21: EMD contract; p. 24: funding-summary inconsistency. The FY2025 budget report includes 2024 events despite its December 2023 label.
Reused the hash-checked official PDF retrieved September 12, 2026; fresh direct access returned 403. Schedule, cost, contract and expenditure tables inspected visually. This is a historical pre-recertification estimate, not the 2026 baseline.
Back to: [Promise](#promise) · [Money](#money) · [Contracts](#contracts) · [Limits](#limits) · [Method](#method).
### N02 · Department of Defense announces results of Sentinel Nunn-McCurdy Review
**DoD News / U.S. Air Force · Document label Jul 8, 2024.** [Original source](https://www.af.mil/News/Features/Article/3830205/department-of-defense-announces-results-of-sentinel-nunn-mccurdy-review/)
Paragraphs on January 18 notification, certification, rescinded Milestone B, $140.9bn / 81% reported comparison, command-and-launch cost growth and estimated delay.
Reviewed the official publisher's indexed full article through web retrieval on September 24, 2026. Direct HTTPS retrieval was blocked; no successful raw-file download is claimed. The release does not explicitly label the dollar basis of its $140.9bn figure.
Back to: [Promise](#promise) · [Money](#money) · [Limits](#limits).
### N03 · Weapon Systems Annual Assessment — GAO-26-108457
**U.S. Government Accountability Office · Document label Jul 2, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-26-108457.pdf#page=103)
PDF pp. 103–104 / printed pp. 91–92, Sentinel assessment. January 2026 interim status; current cost row under review; altered first-flight scope, 2027 pad-based tests and Q3 FY2030 silo-based test; unresolved rebaseline and program-office targets.
Reused the hash-checked official PDF retrieved September 12; fresh direct PDF access failed. Both Sentinel pages were visually reviewed. July publication does not make its January assessment a September observation.
Back to: [Promise](#promise) · [Money](#money) · [Limits](#limits) · [Method](#method).
### N04 · Delivering deterrence: Sentinel restructure to complete in 2026; initial capability timeline set
**Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs · Document label Feb 17, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4407679/delivering-deterrence-sentinel-restructure-to-complete-in-2026-initial-capabili/)
Opening and program-restructure paragraphs: new Milestone B targeted by end-2026; initial capability early 2030s. Progress bullets: ground-test article and component tests; not an operational declaration.
Reviewed the official publisher's indexed full article through web retrieval on September 24, 2026. Direct HTTPS retrieval was blocked; no successful raw-file download is claimed.
Back to: [Promise](#promise) · [Limits](#limits).
### N05 · Air Force assembles inert Sentinel missile, moving with pace toward flight testing
**Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / Wright-Patterson AFB · Document label Sep 14, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.wpafb.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4601501/air-force-assembles-inert-sentinel-missile-moving-with-pace-toward-flight-testi/)
Opening, first-flight design-review paragraph and final paragraph: inert vertical assembly after a four-month campaign, first-flight-specific review, planned 2027 flight testing and early-2030s initial capability.
Reviewed the official publisher's indexed full article through web retrieval on September 24, 2026. Direct HTTPS retrieval was blocked; no successful raw-file download is claimed. September 14 is publication; an exact assembly-completion date is not assigned.
Back to: [Outcomes](#outcomes) · [Limits](#limits) · [Method](#method).
### N06 · FY2027 RDT&E Programs (R-1)
**Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) · Document label Apr 2026.** [Original source](https://comptroller.war.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/FY2027/FY2027_r1.pdf#page=47)
PDF p. 47 / printed p. 42: 3600F, line 102, PE 0605238F, Ground Based Strategic Deterrent EMD. FY2025 Actuals; FY2026 discretionary enacted / P.L.119-21 spend plan / total; FY2027 discretionary request. All values in $thousands.
Fresh direct PDF retrieval succeeded September 24. Column labels and the entire line were visually inspected. This is a total-obligational-authority exhibit, not an outlay ledger.
Back to: [Money](#money) · [Limits](#limits).
### N07 · Contracts for September 8, 2020
**U.S. Department of Defense (historical release hosted on war.gov) · Document label Sep 8, 2020.** [Original source](https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/2340084/source/news_body_link/)
AIR FORCE, first paragraph: FA8219-20-C-0006, $13,293,562,839 cost-plus-incentive-fee award, $85m FY2020 RDT&E obligation, one offer and February 2029 estimated completion.
Reviewed the official publisher's indexed full article through web retrieval on September 24, 2026. Direct HTTPS retrieval was blocked; no successful raw-file download is claimed. Historical award terms, not the current contract balance.
Back to: [Contracts](#contracts) · [Limits](#limits).
### N08 · Contracts for June 10, 2026
**U.S. Department of War · Document label Jun 10, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.war.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4513990/contracts-for-june-10-2026/)
ARMY, Korte Construction paragraph: W912PL-26-C-A005, $113,852,388 firm-fixed-price FTU construction contract; same FY2025 MILCON defense-wide obligation; March 6, 2029 estimated completion.
Reviewed the official publisher's indexed full article through web retrieval on September 24, 2026. Direct HTTPS retrieval was blocked; no successful raw-file download is claimed. The funding fiscal year is not the award year; completion is a forecast.
Back to: [Contracts](#contracts) · [Limits](#limits).
### N09 · Sentinel Program advances with silo prototype
**Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs · Document label Mar 27, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4445731/sentinel-program-advances-with-silo-prototype/)
Opening and prototype-purpose paragraphs: groundbreaking for a full-scale silo prototype; new-silo approach rather than refurbishment; anticipated construction learning.
Reviewed the official publisher's indexed full article through web retrieval on September 24, 2026. Direct HTTPS retrieval was blocked; no successful raw-file download is claimed. A prototype groundbreaking is not completed infrastructure or demonstrated cost savings.
Back to: [Outcomes](#outcomes).
### N10 · Sentinel utility corridor project commences with groundbreaking event
**90th Missile Wing Public Affairs / Air Force Global Strike Command · Document label Jul 23, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.afgsc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4557972/sentinel-icbm-programs-utility-corridor-project-commences-with-golden-shovel-gr/)
Opening and photo captions: June 24, 2026 groundbreaking for utility-corridor pilot. July 23 is this mirror's publication label; other official mirrors list July 22.
Reviewed the official publisher's indexed full article through web retrieval on September 24, 2026. Direct HTTPS retrieval was blocked; no successful raw-file download is claimed. Reports construction beginning, not a completed network.
Back to: [Outcomes](#outcomes).
### N11 · Officials break ground on AETC's Sentinel training unit at Vandenberg SFB
**Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center / Staff Sgt. An Pham · Document label Sep 1, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.afnwc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4590790/officials-break-ground-on-aetcs-sentinel-training-unit-at-vandenberg-sfb/)
Opening: August 17 groundbreaking. Closing facility paragraph: opening slated for early 2030s. This is not the March 2029 contract completion forecast in N08.
Reviewed the official publisher's indexed full article through web retrieval on September 24, 2026. Direct HTTPS retrieval was blocked; no successful raw-file download is claimed. No source reviewed reconciles contract completion with operational opening; do not treat them as equivalent dates.
Back to: [Contracts](#contracts) · [Outcomes](#outcomes) · [Method](#method).
### N12 · Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Modernization Faces Critical Risks and Opportunities — GAO-26-108755
**U.S. Government Accountability Office · Document label Feb 18, 2026.** [Original source](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-26-108755.pdf#page=1)
PDF p. 1: rescinded Milestone B and baselines, at-least-$141bn uncertain estimate, prior March 2028 first-flight plan. P. 2: transition risk-management and extended Minuteman III sustainment findings.
Official PDF text reviewed through web retrieval; direct PDF download and screenshots failed. Earlier first-flight scope is clarified by the later annual assessment N03.
Back to: [Promise](#promise) · [Limits](#limits).
## Edition history
**September 24, 2026 · Sentinel edition 1.0.** First complete Sentinel report, preserving the 2020 commitment, pre-review cost comparison, 2024 reset, selected funding/contracts and reported 2026 results through the stated cutoff. Adds a short brief and reproducible chart/data. No MQ-25 or KC-46A factual re-review is implied; their September 12 cutoffs remain unchanged.