OMAHA- If the world's nuclear powers ever decide to put those weapons to use, Nebraska would become the first place to soak up the first strikes. Missile silos containing 400 nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and wester Nebraska are sitting ducks for any adversary. They are essentially nuclear sponges, their only purpose is to be a target.

The cost to modernize America's nuclear arsenal exceeds $300 billion and has support from both sides of the aisle. The Pentagon gave defense contractor Northrop Grumman $13.3 billion to start work on the "ground-based strategic deterrent" (GBSD). Between the US Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base on the east side of the state and the silos on the western side, Nebraska has an outsize stake in the nuclear enterprise.

Some say the ICBMs are no longer useful and the United States would be safer if they did not exist. In an attack, the president would only have a few minutes to decide before they are destroyed, so the odds of an error are extremely high. The point of deterrence essentially says if you attack us, you will be completely destroyed, which invites the nightmare of a full-blown nuclear war. Others believe the exact opposite.

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