United States Strategic Command

Air Force Lt. Col. Deane Konowicz assumed command of U.S. Strategic Command’s 625th Operations Squadron from Air Force Lt. Col. J. Grayson Higby at Offutt AFB on June 26, according to a June 30 STRATCOM press release. “The mission set of the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron includes some of the most critical activities related to […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 6/19/2015 U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) hopes to advance the installation of its replacement for the Milstar satellite constellation, as reliability problems of the nuclear-survivable legacy system have slowed the follow-on’s procurement timeline, and as a Government Accountability Office report released this week revealed “known capability gaps” and deficiencies in the nation’s […]

Industry Seeks More Clarity on Weapon System’s Capabilities and Procurement Timeline Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 6/19/2015 Military leaders of the nuclear enterprise are developing a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) to chart an innovative, 21st century concept for the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) to replace the Cold War-era Minuteman 3, U.S. Strategic Command’s (STRATCOM’s) No. 2 […]

U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) hopes to ramp up installation of its replacement for the Milstar satellite constellation, as reliability problems of the nuclear-survivable legacy system have slowed the follow-on’s procurement timeline, STRATCOM’s No. 2 official said during a speech in Washington yesterday. The military has sent a fraction of the available follow-on Advanced Extremely High […]

Brian Bradley  NS&D Monitor  6/12/2015 Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson will assume the position of Deputy Commander of U.S. Strategic Command “at the end of July,” as current Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. James Kowalski retires, a STRATCOM spokesperson told NS&D Monitor. The nomination of Wilson, who has commanded Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) since October 2013, was […]

Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson will assume the position of Deputy Commander of U.S. Strategic Command “at the end of July,” from Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, a STRATCOM spokesperson told Weapons Complex Morning Briefing. The nomination of Wilson, who has commanded Air Force Global Strike Command since October 2013, was announced on March 17. STRATCOM spokesperson […]

Capt. Thomas Ishee has been selected for promotion to the rank of rear admiral, and has been nominated to be the Deputy Commander of U.S. Strategic Command’s Joint Functional Component Command for Global Strike, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert announced yesterday. The position is located at Offutt AFB, […]

The top commander of U.S. strategic forces yesterday cautioned that the U.S. should not unilaterally de-alert its nuclear weapons, responding to a recently released report led by a predecessor that stated that the measure could induce others to follow suit. “I have a lot of respect for [retired] General [James] Cartwright,” former commander of U.S. […]

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh on Friday announced four leadership changes, pending Congressional confirmation, at U.S. Strategic Command. Brig. Gen. Anthony Cotton, Deputy Director of the National Reconnaissance Office and commander of Air Force Element, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va., has been selected for the rank of major general and for the […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 3/20/2015 Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson has been nominated to serve as the next deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command. Wilson has commanded Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) since October 2013, during which he advocated for an across-the-board portfolio of nuclear modernization for the air- and ground-based legs of the nuclear […]

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has tapped Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, who has commanded Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) since October 2013, as the next deputy commander for U.S. Strategic Command, according to a service announcement. After former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last year announced the boost of AFGSC from a three- to a four-star […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 2/27/2015 Retired Air Force Gen. Robert Kehler, the former commander of U.S. Strategic Command, last week emphatically championed sweeping investments in nuclear command, control and communications (NC3), and cautioned against segregating individual NC3 components from funding. Speaking at the annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit Feb. 20, Kehler joined a group of active […]

Retired Gen. Robert Kehler, former commander of U.S. Strategic Command, on Friday emphatically championed sweeping investments in nuclear command, control and communications (NC3), and cautioned against segregating individual NC3 components from funding. Speaking at the Annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit, Kehler joined a group of active leaders throughout the nuclear enterprise in endorsing an upgrade of […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 2/13/2015 As different nations are modernizing or striving to develop their strategic capabilities, the United States must invest in upgrading its nuclear deterrent, Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said during a speech at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington Feb. 6. Haney pointed to Russia, which has engaged […]

As different nations modernize, strive to develop and “show off” their strategic capabilities, the U.S. must invest in upgrading its nuclear deterrent, Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said Friday during a speech at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington. Haney addressed topics ranging from space technology to nuclear deterrence during a Friday […]

The Defense Department on Nov. 25 announced that Rear Adm. John Haley, director of U.S. Strategic Command’s division of Global Operations, J3, at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., will be reassigned to command the Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, in Norfolk, Va. Haley assumed his current position in March 2013, after commanding Battle Force […]

The former deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command denied that he counterfeited poker chips he used at an Iowa casino in June 2013, according to a Nov. 24 Associated Press story. In two recently released statements—written last spring to Navy officials— Rear Adm. Timothy Giardina said he found the fake poker chips in a bathroom stall […]

U.S. Strategic Command will upgrade a key element of its Integrated Strategic Planning and Analysis Network (ISPAN), which national leaders and combatant commanders use to plan for nuclear crisis scenarios, according to an Oct. 24 release. Five contracts awarded by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Hanscom (Mass.) AFB to four companies—BAE Systems, […]

U.S. Strategic Command today will begin its annual field training and battle staff exercise, which primarily emphasizes nuclear command and control and coordinates all of the command’s mission areas in space, cyberspace, missile defense, combating weapons of mass destruction and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, according to a STRATCOM statement. STRATCOM will conduct the operation, dubbed […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 10/3/2014 The U.S. nuclear enterprise requires a fiscal “plus-up,” but military officials are still wrestling with where the necessary funding will come from, U.S. Strategic Command Vice Commander Lt. Gen. James Kowalski said last week. “We did a fair amount of investment in organizational changes and in focus of our nuclear […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 9/26/2014 U.S. Strategic Command Vice Commander Lt. Gen. James Kowalski  confirmed late this week that a new “hybrid” mobile-option intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that would allow nuclear forces to respond to potential nuclear attacks with a greater degree of certainty than the 40-year-old Minuteman 3 ICBM is expected to debut in […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 8/22/2014 With Congress raising questions about the Obama Administration’s ‘3+2’ strategy for modernizing the nation’s nuclear arsenal, Strategic Command chief Adm. Cecil Haney last week said he is “very concerned” about the future of the strategy but emphasized its importance. Haney spoke to reporters after a speech at U.S. Strategic Command’s […]

With Congress raising questions about the Obama Administration’s ‘3+2’ strategy for modernizing the nation’s nuclear arsenal, Strategic Command chief Adm. Cecil Haney said he was “very concerned” about the future of the strategy but emphasized its importance. Haney spoke to reporters after a speech at Strategic Command’s Deterrence Symposium yesterday, addressing the ‘3+2’ strategy. Several […]

In Separate Hearings, Haney, NNSA Officials Also Fear Impact of Sequestration’s Return Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 4/04/2014 Even in a tight budgetary environment, the United States can “ill afford” to not modernize its nuclear deterrent, the head of United States Strategic Command told the House Armed Services Committee this week. Adm. Cecil Haney made his first […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 6/20/2014 With lawmakers raising questions about the Obama Administration’s ‘3+2’ strategy for modernizing the nation’s nuclear stockpile, Strategic Command chief Adm. Cecil Haney this week continued to advocate for the full suite of modernization efforts proposed by the Administration. Authorizers and appropriators in both the House and Senate have raised questions […]

With questions swirling from the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee about the Air Force’s need for a follow-on nuclear air-launched cruise missile, Strategic Command chief Adm. Cecil Haney voiced his support for the mission need for the weapon. “That’s an important facet of our deterrent, to have that capability, to have that standoff capability […]

NS&D Monitor 1/17/2014 IN STRATCOM U.S. Strategic Command is looking for a Deputy Director for Plans and Policy to replace Greg Weaver, who left StratCom last month for a post in the Department of Defense. The SES-level position pays between $143,600 and $167,000 annually, according to an Air Force job posting, and closes Jan. 27. […]

Even in a tight budgetary environment, the United States can “ill afford” not modernizing its nuclear deterrent, the head of United States Strategic Command told the House Armed Services Committee yesterday. Adm. Cecil Haney made his first appearance before the panel after taking over as StratCom commander late last year, and argued that spending on […]

A House Armed Services Committee hearing with Strategic Command and Pacific Command was postponed yesterday because of snow in Washington, D.C. While Pacific Command chief Adm. Samuel Locklear will testify before the committee today, Strategic Command chief Adm. Cecil Haney is likely to appear before the committee in early April, though a date has not […]

Strategic Command chief Adm. Cecil Haney will appear before the House Armed Services Committee for the first time next week. Haney will testify before the committee alongside Pacific Command chief Adm. Samuel Locklear at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Room 2118 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Haney’s appearance before the committee will come on the […]