On the day of the military parade, the U.S. military closed the Minuteman III silos, everything was implied without words, marking the end of an era.

During the military parade held in China to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism in World War II, China showcased its new road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile DF-61. Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force quietly closed the first Minuteman III missile silo in Wyoming across the ocean.

These two actions occurred simultaneously: on one side, a new missile suddenly appeared, while on the other, an old system retired from service, forming a striking contrast.

The Minuteman III has been in service since the 1970s and has now exceeded half a century, serving as the cornerstone of the U.S. land-based nuclear force.

Throughout the long Cold War period, this model was responsible for immediate retaliation deterrence, but with time, its hardware aged, software updates became difficult, and maintenance costs increased significantly.

Although the U.S. military continuously extended its service life and upgraded it, they have long realized that it cannot last until the middle of this century.

Shutting down the first silo is a symbolic moment for the U.S. nuclear strategy, indicating that the retirement process has officially begun, followed by the need for the U.S. to rely on the Sentinel system to take over.

However, the Sentinel project has been criticized due to soaring costs and delays in progress, and it is unlikely to achieve large-scale deployment in the short term.

This means that the U.S. land-based nuclear forces will be in an awkward state for several years: the old system is no longer functional, and the new one has not arrived yet, posing a risk to the continuity of nuclear deterrence.

In Beijing's military parade, the DF-61 was displayed alongside other new missiles, highlighting the different directions in nuclear force development between China and the United States: China emphasizes improving survivability and the ability to respond to a first strike, while the U.S. is stuck in the traditional silo model, facing an increasingly sharp issue of maintaining credible deterrence under the threat of hypersonic weapons and the uncertainty of new treaties.

Although the U.S. possesses a vast nuclear arsenal, the situation of retiring and waiting inevitably weakens the stability of deterrence.

Therefore, the contrast on the day of the military parade highlights a fact: an old era is closing, which is not only the end of the Minuteman III, but also a symbol of the shift to a new stage in nuclear strategy.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842402858611724/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.