Defense Primer: Strategic Nuclear Forces

The following is the April 1, 2026, Congressional Research Service report, Defense Primer: Strategic Nuclear Forces. From the Report The Department of Defense (DOD)—which is “using a secondary Department of War designation” under Executive Order 14347 dated September 5, 2025—is in the process of modernizing U.S. strategic nuclear forces. This modernization effort includes numerous DOD major defense acquisition programs, some of which are annually assessed by the Government Accountability Office, and warhead modernization programs implemented by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous Department of Energy agency. In 2025, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that U.S. programs to operate