On July 25, Boeing announced it would withdraw its bid to produce the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), a system intended to replace the Air Force’s Minuteman III ICBMs. In a statement, Boeing said “the current acquisition approach does not provide a level playing field for fair competition,” leaving Northrop Grumman as the sole bidder for the GBSD program. The contract is valued at more than $60 billion. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg had stated in an earnings call two days prior that the company was “focused on leveraging [their] work-to-date on GBSD to help deliver this essential national security capability.”