First on Fox: One of the top US defense contractors with a history of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is facing heat with a massive government contract that critics say should be the main target of Elon Musk’s Doge efforts.
The Air Force’s Sentinel program, a massive intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) project serving as the successor to the Minuteman III program ensuring the future viability of the land-based leg of America’s nuclear triad, has been mired in controversy and slowdowns as Northrop Grumman was awarded the development contract and the endeavor has gone from a $96 billion program to at least $141 billion in recent years.
The Department of Defense ordered Northrop Grumman to suspend development earlier this year due to “evolving requirements for development facilities,” Defense One reported. Air & Space Forces Magazine last year reported that the intercontinental ballistic missile program survived the Pentagon review, but found that the cost surplus jumped from 37% to 81%.
Northrop Grumman, who previously hadn’t designed ICBMs, was awarded a $13 billion contract in September 2020 for full-scale development of a program replacing Minuteman III, and the Pentagon estimates that the total cost of developing a new ICBM program could cost up to $264 billion in the coming decades.
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Northrop Grumman tried to distance himself from Dei after years of advertising. (Getty)
The award of the contract was reported by the responsible state in itself as controversy after Boeing claimed that the process had been combined against it.
“The significant increase in costs for Northrop Grumman’s Minuteman III program is an example of why low scope blank checking programs are a bad idea,” a senior Republican Congress official working on defense policy told Fox News Digital.
“This is bad for national security and bad for taxpayers, and Republicans will fix this mess created by Biden’s team,” the official added.
In recent years, some have also been raised by some as to whether a Sentinel program is needed, such as last year’s Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Management Working Group press conference when former Democrat John Tierney said “The Sentinels won’t add to our safety.”
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The US flag flies near the US Air Force B-2 spirit stealth bomber “Georgia’s Spirit” at the Northrop Grumman Corporation facility at 42 U.S. Air Force Factory in Palmdale, California. (Getty)
“When will the blank checks end to cover the spiral costs?” Tierney said. “The Sentinel ICBM program is the latest in a long list of Pentagon programs that go beyond budgets, delay schedules, and exceed suspicious utilities.”
Tierney added that it believes the “only value” of recent ICBM developments is “for defense contractors who line up fat pockets with large amounts of cost overruns at the expense of taxpayers.”
“I have to stop,” he said.
An Air Force spokesman told Fox News Digital that the Sentinel program is taking “intentional” steps to ensure that the Sentinel program is as cost-effective as possible, whilst simultaneously increasing surveillance. “We will continue to work towards engineering design and program maturity with Northrop Grumman and work closely with the company to reduce costs and improve schedule performance,” the spokesman added.
The Air Force also pointed to previous comments from Air Force Secretary General David Albin during a symposium in March that highlighted the importance of the Sentinel program.
“We own two-thirds of the Triad and three-quarters of the Nuclear Command, and we own control of communications,” Allvin says. “We own nuclear deterrents. Therefore, the Air Force means more nuclear deterrents. They must have the most reliable, safest and most effective nuclear deterrents. That means Sentinels.
Amidst the cost overrun and headaches from the ICBM program, Northrop Grumman has been one of several defense contractors who have tried to scrub the DEI website in recent years, following the Trump administration’s pledge to adopt, promote, and abolish ideology.
Northrop Grumman’s 2023 annual report states that DEI “is crucial to our culture and the success of our company. The ability to leverage the power of a diverse workforce can increase employee engagement and bring value to shareholders, customers and employees.”
The report also promoted minority employment practices, saying 25% of employees are women, 37% of people of color, 18% veterans and 8% with disabilities.
Elon Musk’s Tesla showroom location faces repeated protests against his role in the Doge. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
“Diversity has a home in Northrop Grumman,” says ClearanceJobs’ YouTube video in a post that features Northrop Grumman employees discussing the diversity of the company.
“Northrop’s Sentinel program is the child of Doge’s posters,” a close-in-the- Trump administration told Fox News Digital. “Not only did they practice day, but the program is ineffective, delayed and wasted billions of taxpayers’ money. Musk will have a day out in the open.”
Doge’s cost-cutting efforts have impacted all areas of the government, including the Ministry of Defense. Recently, Democrats have announced that more than $580 million contracts have been cancelled as they continue to explode their efforts and claim Doge cuts are harmful to the country.
“I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I spent billions of dollars on expensive consulting companies, grants and NGOs. Selfish bureaucrats in Washington, DC have found a million different ways to strip American taxpayers.”
“I work very closely with Doge at President Trump’s agency. Our Doge team is not political, it’s practical. They know that it’s not practical for the US government to continue spending the way it is now.
Lake Kari, a former Republican Senate candidate in Arizona, will speak at a conservative political action conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday, December 4th, 2024.
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In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Northrop Grumman spokesman promoted recent advances in the program.
“We continue to make great strides in the Sentinel weapons system,” the spokesman said. “On March 6th, we completed the stationary test of missile Stage 1, the latest event in many test events examining the performance and digital design of rocket motors. We will continue to mature our designs and mitigate risks while preparing for production and deployment of this essential national security capability.”
Regarding DEI, a spokesman stated, “We review our policies and processes and take the necessary steps to ensure compliance with work orders entrusted to us. Northrop Grumman provides the technology that needs to commit to our mission, thwart threats, win conflicts, and strengthen national security. Customer.”
Andrew Mark Miller is a Fox News reporter. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email him with tips to Andrewmark.miller@fox.com.
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