The US Congress did not approve the development of the SLCM-N nuclear-powered sea-launched cruise missile for nuclear-powered submarines

The US will not develop a sea-based nuclear cruise missile for nuclear-powered submarines. Congress has decided not to approve the programme.

Here's What We Know

In 2018, Donald Trump, as US president, approved the SLCM-N (Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile) project. This was the American response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014, which spilled over into the occupation of Crimea and the start of the war in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

We learned about the programme going under the knife last year. In late October, the Joe Biden administration published three documents - National Defence Strategy, Nuclear Posture Review and Missile Defence Review - outlining the military's priorities for the coming years.

The authorities decided to get rid of the B83-1 thermonuclear bomb with a yield of 1.2 megatons because of its low capability and high cost. At the same time it became known about the desire of the White House to stop the development of the SLCM-N programme.

The US Congressional Commission on Strategic Forces Policy also agreed not to approve the development of a nuclear cruise missile for US Navy nuclear submarines. The US Department of Defence has long needed such a weapon, but the Pentagon's desire could not keep the SLCM-N programme from stopping.