Controversial defense program tied to DEI-laden contractor could be in crosshairs of DOGE: 'Poster child'

FIRST ON FOX: One of the top defense contractors in the United States, which has a history of pushing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), is facing heat over a massive government contract that critics say should be a prime target for 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 Pentagon ordered Northrop Grumman to pause development earlier this year due to "evolving launch facility requirements", Defense One reported. Air & Space Forces Magazine reported last year that the intercontinental ballistic missile program survived a Pentagon review, but it was found that the cost overrun jumped from 37% to 81%.

Northrop Grumman, which had not previously designed an ICBM, was awarded a $13 billion contract in September 2020 for full-scale development of the program to replace the Minuteman III, and the Pentagon has estimated that the total cost of developing its new ICBM program could cost up to $264 billion over the next few decades, Bloomberg reported.

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Northrop Grumman has attempted to distance itself from DEI after promoting it for years. (Getty)

The awarding of the contract was controversial in its own right, after Boeing dropped out of the bidding, claiming that the process was rigged against it, Responsible Statecraft reported. 

"The massive expansion of costs for Northrop Grumman's Minuteman III program is the case example for why poorly-scoped, blank check programs are a bad idea," a senior Republican Congressional official who works on defense policy told Fox News Digital. 

"This is bad for national security, bad for taxpayers, and Republicans will fix this mess that Biden's team created," the official added.

Questions have also been raised by some in recent years about whether the Sentinel program is even necessary, including at a Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group press conference last year, when former Democratic Congressman John Tierney said that Sentinel "does not add to our security" and could "actually make us less safe."

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The U.S. flag flies near the U.S. Air Force's B-2 Spirit Stealth bomber "Spirit of Georgia" at the Northrop Grumman Corp. facility at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. (Getty)

"When will the blank checks to cover spiraling costs end?" Tierney said. "The Sentinel ICBM program is just the latest in a long list of Pentagon programs that are over budget, behind schedule and of questionable utility."

Tierney added that he believes the "only value" of recent ICBM development is "to the defense contractors who line their fat pockets with large cost overruns at the expense of our taxpayers."

"It has got to stop," he said. 

An Air Force spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it is taking "deliberate" steps to ensure that the Sentinel program is running as cost-efficiently as possible while enhancing oversight at the same time. "We continue to advance the engineering design and maturity of the program with Northrop Grumman, working closely with the company to drive down costs and improve schedule performance," the spokesperson added.

The Air Force also pointed to a previous comment from Gen. David Allvin, Air Force chief of staff, during a symposium in March that stressed the importance of the Sentinel program.

"We own two-thirds of the triad and three-fourths of the nuclear command and control of communications," Allvin said. "We own the nuclear deterrence. So more Air Force means more nuclear deterrence…We have to have the most reliable, the most safe, the most effective nuclear deterrent. That means sentinel, yes…I believe we need more nuclear deterrence for our nation. It’s a solemn responsibility. It’s not an option."

Amid the cost overruns and headaches from the ICBM program, Northrop Grumman adopted and promoted an agenda focused on DEI in recent years and was one of several defense contractors that have attempted to scrub their websites of DEI in the wake of the Trump administration’s pledge to rid the government of the ideology. 

Northrop Grumman’s 2023 annual report mentions DEI as "vital to our culture and our company’s success. Our ability to leverage the power of our diverse workforce enhances employee engagement and enables us to innovate, perform and deliver on quality, which results in value for our shareholders, customers, and employees."

The report also touted its minority hiring practices and stated that 25% of its employees are female, 37% people of color, 18% veterans and 8% people with disabilities. 

Elon Musk's Tesla showroom locations have faced repeated protests over his role in DOGE. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

"Diversity Has a Home at Northrop Grumman," a YouTube video from ClearanceJobs says in a post that features Northrop Grumman employees discussing the diversity of the company. 

"Northrop’s Sentinel Program is a DOGE poster child," a person close to the Trump administration told Fox News Digital. "Not only did they practice DEI, the program is ineffective, delayed, and wasting billions of taxpayer money. Musk would have a field day."

DOGE's cost-cutting efforts have affected essentially every area of government, including the Defense Department, which recently announced that over $580 million worth of contracts have been canceled as Democrats continue to blast the efforts and make the case that DOGE cuts are detrimental to the country.  

"I’ve seen it with my own eyes, billions of dollars spent on pricey consulting firms, grants and NGO‘s—the self-serving bureaucrats in Washington DC have found a million different ways to rip-off the American taxpayer," special advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media Kari Lake told Fox News Digital. 

"I’m working very closely with DOGE at the agency President Trump asked me to oversee. Our DOGE team is not political, they are practical. They know that it’s not practical for the U.S. government to continue spending the way it has been. Our country won’t survive unless we cut back right now, and the hard-working men and women across this country support that."

Kari Lake, former U.S. Republican Senate candidate for Arizona, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference Argentina in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Anita Pouchard Serra/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for Northrop Grumman touted recent progress in the program.

"We continue to make substantial progress on the Sentinel Weapon System," the spokesperson said. "On March 6, we completed the missile’s stage one static fire test, the latest of many test events that validate the rocket motor’s performance and digital design. We continue to mature the design and reduce risk as we prepare for production and deployment of this essential national security capability."

Regarding DEI, the spokesperson said, "We have reviewed our policies and processes and continue to take the steps necessary to ensure compliance with the orders for the work entrusted to us. Northrop Grumman is committed to our customers’ missions, delivering technologies they need to deter threats, prevail in conflicts, and strengthen national security. Underpinned by our values, we hire, promote, and pay based on merit and performance resulting in the best team to deliver for our customers."