‘‘What is extraordinary’’ is that the missiles have been deployed even though they ‘‘have never successfully intercepted a test target,’’ Kingston Reif, director of nuclear nonproliferation for the Council for a Living World, said in an e-mail.

“I think there is a great loss for the pro-nuclear weapons defense hawks with the [retirement] of Senator Jon Kyl,� according to Isaacs. “One senator can make a lot of difference when that senator is very engaged, active and a good legislator.�

Too often, the Pentagon spending debate is ensnared in the outmoded ideology of past wars and driven by legions of lobbyists for parochial interests in the military-industrial complex.

“It’s not necessarily influence, but access. They will likely open the door to us,� Isaacs said of bundling. “It certainly doesn’t guarantee that they will vote the way we want them to vote.�

“I think the tide has kind of turned in some ways against defense thanks to the tea party. They’re so much against any kind of spending that they don’t exclude defense from that,” Isaacs said.