Defense & Military

All of the U.S. military services officially have a permanent leader for the first time since May as the Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Barbara Barrett as Air Force secretary. The Senate confirmed Barrett by a vote of 85-7. Senators who voted no include Senate Armed Services Committee members Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth […]

The Senate is expected to vote to confirm Barbara Barrett as the next secretary of the Air Force as early as Oct. 16, after resuming consideration of her nomination Oct. 15. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) filed cloture on the nomination Sept 26, before the upper chamber left for its annual two-week October recess, […]

The Senate confirmed Air Force Gen. John Hyten to become the next Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Sept. 26, by a vote of 75-22. The vote to promote the current U.S. Strategic Command commander comes after several months of drawn-out debate over allegations that Hyten had sexually assaulted one of his […]

The Senate will vote on whether to confirm U.S. Strategic Command Commander Air Force Gen. John Hyten to become the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chamber’s senior Republican leader said Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) affirmed in a floor speech Tuesday that by the end of the week, […]

The U.S. Air Force is not encouraging or discouraging a possible proposal where Boeing and Northrop Grumman team up to build the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Will Roper told reporters on the sidelines of a recent industry conferece. “We are looking for the proposal that is best value to the […]

The Air Force is not encouraging or discouraging a possible proposal where Boeing and Northrop Grumman team up to build the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Will Roper told reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of the Defense News conference. “We are looking for the proposal that is best value to the Air Force,” […]

Lt. Gen Anthony Cotton has been nominated to become the next deputy commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, serving under Commander Gen. Timothy Ray. Cotton currently serves as the as commander and president of Air University, part of Air Education and Training Command at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Prior to that assignment, he […]

The Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday approved Gen. John Hyten to become vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, following a hearing in which the Air Force four-star and current commander of U.S. nuclear forces fielded questions about his alleged sexual assault of a subordinate officer. The committee voted 20-7 to report the […]

The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) said Wednesday that it had voted to favorably report Air Force Gen. John Hyten’s nomination to become the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The committee voted 20-7 to report the U.S. Strategic Command commander’s nomination to the Senate for a floor vote. That followed a […]

The Senate’s top nuclear-weapon authorizer pumped Air Force Gen. John Hyten during a Tuesday confirmation hearing for ammunition to use in upcoming budget negotiations with House Democrats over spending levels for the ongoing modernization and maintenance of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. President Donald Trump in April nominated Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command since 2016, […]

The Senate Armed Services Committee announced will this question Strategic Command Commander and Air Force Gen. John Hyten as the nominee to become the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The confirmation hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday in Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G50. The committee has been conducting a series […]

Mark Esper was sworn in this week as the secretary of defense after the Senate confirmed him Tuesday by a landslide vote, ending months of uncertainty about the Pentagon’s leadership. Esper, who previously served as Army secretary since 2017, was confirmed by a vote of 90-8 Tuesday. President Donald Trump swore him in that night. […]

The Senate confirmed Mark Esper to become the next permanent secretary of defense on Tuesday by a landslide vote, ending months of uncertainty about the Pentagon’s leadership. Esper, who previously served as Army secretary since 2017, was confirmed by a vote of 90-8 Tuesday afternoon. Eight Democrats voted against his confirmation, and two senators – […]

By Richard Abott Defense Daily The U.S. should speed up efforts to develop new nuclear-capable weapons, including a “cost-effective, credible” replacement for the Trident II ballistic missile, the Chief of Naval Operations said this week. In a talk at the Mitchell Institute Tuesday in Washington, Adm. John Richardson also called for exploring capabilities such as low-yield […]

The Chief of Naval Operations on Tuesday said the U.S. must move faster on new capabilities to support its nuclear deterrent, such as finding a “cost-effective, credible” replacement for the Trident II ballistic missile, adding the Navy can no longer rely on a readiness advantage in the strategic weapon space. Adm. John Richardson told attendees […]

As the Air Force and wider Defense Department work to address threats posed by peer competition and to fulfill the requirements of the 2018 National Defense Strategy, the service must invest in a workforce that can build and deliver crucial capabilities to sustain the nuclear arsenal, the Air Force’s top military official said June 26. […]

As the Air Force and wider Defense Department work to address threats posed by peer competition and to fulfill the requirements of the 2018 National Defense Strategy, the service must invest in a workforce that can build and deliver crucial capabilities to sustain the nuclear arsenal, the Air Force’s top military official said June 26. […]

Banning a low-yield, submarine-launched ballistic-missile warhead could stop “some nitwit at the Pentagon” from attempting to fight a nuclear war, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Monday. It remains unclear how far Smith is willing to go to block the low-yield warhead, dubbed the W76-2. The Smith-authored $733 billion […]

The House Armed Services Committee fell in line with their counterparts on the Appropriations Committee on Monday, proposing to authorize a 2020 defense-nuclear budget that nixes the Donald Trump administration’s proposal to cut legacy weapons cleanup to fund looming nuclear-weapon programs. The proposal is part of the Committee’s 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which […]

Two of the most important bills of the year for the National Nuclear Security Administration are slated for consideration on Wednesday, when the full House and a key committee will take up proposals to fund and authorize critical nuclear security programs for fiscal year 2020. The House Armed Services Committee will vote on the 2020 […]

The Department of Energy would no longer have to make 80 plutonium pits a year by the end of the next decade, if legislation unveiled Monday in the Democrat-controlled House becomes law. The legislation, due for a vote Tuesday by House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee “would repeal the requirement for the Secretary of Energy […]

President Donald Trump announced May 21 that he is nominating Barbara Barrett to become the next Air Force secretary, as current Secretary Heather Wilson completes her final weeks on the job. “I am pleased to announce my nomination of Barbara Barrett of Arizona, and former Chairman of the Aerospace Corporation, to be the next Secretary of […]

By Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily Raytheon on Thursday reported strong first quarter results with the company’s earnings leading the way with a double-digit gain on operational performance, some pension tailwinds and other positives. Despite beating its own and analysts’ expectations on earnings, Raytheon left its outlook for 2019 unchanged. Company officials on their investor call said […]

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon danced around questions this week about whether the National Nuclear Security Administration can support the planned deployment of next-generation, nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles if Congress allows the civilian agency to build only a single plutonium pit-production plant. But with lawmakers headed back to Washington next week to prepare bills that will […]

The leader of Air Force Global Strike Command expects the cost of the service’s new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to increase in the short term, he said April 17. However, Gen. Timothy Ray is not concerned about the impact to the ongoing Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program, as the cost will likely then go down […]

For the first time in seven years, the Department Defense refused to declassify the number of nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal, the Washington-based Federation of American Scientists (FAS) said Wednesday. The nonprofit group, which counts nuclear warheads, delivery vehicles, and carrier craft worldwide, said it received notice from the Department of Energy that the […]

The Pentagon is pulling the plug on the contract for the JASON civilian science advisory panel even as contractor MITRE Corp. works on multiple studies for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), according to congressional testimony this week. The NNSA has “three studies being considered and planned with JASON pertaining to the topics of: cyber […]

The White House on Tuesday nominated Air Force Gen. John Hyten as vice chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, opening up a vacancy at both the nation’s top nuclear command post and on the joint Pentagon-Department of Energy body that oversees nuclear weapons procurement. Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command since November 2016, “was […]

The White House on Tuesday nominated Air Force Gen. John Hyten as vice chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, opening up a vacancy at both the nation’s top nuclear command post and on the joint Pentagon-Department of Energy body that oversees nuclear weapons procurement. Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command since November 2016, “was […]

The Pentagon continues to assess the costs and benefits of directing the two contractors building the forthcoming Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) to partner with the two remaining rocket builders in the country, the Air Force’s military acquisition chief said March 28. Testifying before the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee Thursday on Capitol Hill, Lt. […]