WASHINGTON, July 8The Pentagon announced that development of the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile will continue, despite the fact that the cost of the program was 81% higher than original estimates.
The legislation requires that work be curtailed if the estimate is exceeded by 25%, but makes an exception for projects that are especially significant for national security, have no alternatives and meet a number of other criteria. 
“Based on the results of the review, (US Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Logistics) Dr. William LaPlante…certified that the Sentinel program meets the statutory criteria for continuation,” the statement said.
LaPlante ordered the Air Force to restructure the program to address the causes of disruption, as well as take steps to keep costs under control in the future. The cost of the program now stands at $140.9 billion, an 81% increase from the September 2020 estimate.
«We fully understand the magnitude of the costs, but we also understand the risks of not modernizing our nuclear forces… Sentinel represents a truly historic program to upgrade the ground segment of the triad,» — said Laplante.