Defense & Military

Brian Bradley  NS&D Monitor  7/31/2015 LA VISTA, Neb.—Deterrence is not limited to nuclear weapons, but conventional arms and ballistic missile defense cannot substitute for the U.S. nuclear triad, a senior Defense Department official said here on Thursday. “Most of you have heard me say too many times that deterrence is not limited solely to nuclear […]

Brian Bradley  NS&D Monitor  7/31/2015 LA VISTA, Neb.— A senior NATO official on Wednesday here urged allies to steer the Western debate on nuclear arms away from its culture of “self-accusation,” which he said has weakened foreign confidence in U.S. extended deterrence and which he claimed was brought on, partly, by nuclear abolitionists who “hijacked” […]

Brian Bradley  NS&D Monitor  7/31/2015 On Tuesday, command of the Air Force Global Strike Command shifted from Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson to Gen. Robin Rand, according to an Air Force press release, marking the first time the unit has become a four-star command. "Today is a great day to be an American airman and it’s […]

Former commander of Air Force Materiel Command, retired Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, has been named to AECOM’s Board of Directors effective Aug. 1. “It is an honor to welcome General Wolfenbarger to our Board of Directors,” said AECOM Chairman and CEO Michael Burke. “Her impressive experience in managing complex military organizations, as well as her diverse […]

At 10 a.m. CDT yesterday, the commandership of Air Force Global Strike Command shifted from Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson to Gen. Robin Rand, according to command spokeswoman Carla Pampe, marking a historic moment for U.S. nuclear forces as AFGSC became a four-star billet for the first time. "Today is a great day to be an […]

The La Vista (Neb.) Conference Center on Wednesday and Thursday will host the annual United States Strategic Command Deterrence Symposium. The conference will feature speeches by STRATCOM Commander Navy Adm. Cecil Haney, and incoming STRATCOM Deputy Commander Air Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, along with foreign government ministers, policy experts, and former Pentagon and State […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 Command of the Air Force Global Strike Command will shift from Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson to Gen. Robin Rand on July 28, ending Wilson’s nearly two-year tenure as commander of the service’s nuclear deterrence branch, command spokeswoman Carla Pampe confirmed to NS&D Monitor on Wednesday. The change of command will […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 7/24/2015 Two Navy officials who faced allegations of lobbying for Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine replacement funding have been cleared of breaking the law by the Department of Defense Inspector General (DoD IG), according to statements from DoD IG and Navy spokespeople obtained by NS&D Monitor and sister publication Defense Daily this […]

 The commandership of Air Force Global Strike Command will shift from Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson to Gen. Robin Rand on July 28, ending Wilson’s nearly two-year tenure as commander of AFGSC, command spokeswoman Carla Pampe confirmed to Weapons Complex Morning Briefing yesterday. Wilson has commanded AFGSC since October 2013. The change of command, which involves […]

The following interview with Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak, Air Force Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration (A10), and Michael Shoults, Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, was conducted at the Pentagon by NS&D Monitor reporter Brian Bradley. Before the interview, Maj. Gen. Harencak told NS&D Monitor […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 After the State Department this week expressed its opposition to Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford’s statement to Congress last week that Russia is the greatest national security threat to the U.S., largely because of its nuclear capabilities, the nominee to be the next Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 Nuclear capabilities would be one of three areas of “particular emphasis” for the nominee of the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff if he is confirmed, according to in testimony he submitted in advance of his Tuesday confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “If confirmed as […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/17/2015 Despite progress on global nuclear disarmament, there is little chance of a world without the bomb, Adm. William Gortney, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, said during a speech at the State Department on Wednesday. “The nuclear genie’s there, and until everybody wants to do […]

The world will never rid itself of nuclear weapons, despite progress on the “noble cause” of global disarmament, Adm. William Gortney, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, said during a speech at the State Department yesterday. “The nuclear genie’s there, and until everybody wants to do away with nuclear weapons, […]

The State Department on Friday voiced disagreement with a top Pentagon official’s characterization of Russia as the greatest threat to the U.S., largely because of its nuclear capability. During the Senate Armed Services Committee’s confirmation hearing Thursday of Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dunford […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 7/10/2015 Russia’s status as a nuclear power contributes to it being the greatest threat to U.S. national security, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford told senators yesterday during his Senate Armed Service Committee’s confirmation hearing to become the next Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) asked Dunford, currently […]

Should NATO deploy B61 bombs to Poland or the Baltics to respond to Russia’s westward military movement and nuclear flexing? Two nuclear experts disagreed about possible answers to this question during a July 1 discussion on Capitol Hill. Steven Pifer, Director of Brookings Institution’s Arms Control Initiative, dismissed the idea, saying it would be “provocative” […]

The Pentagon released its 2015 National Military Strategy yesterday, outlining its intention to maintain a credible nuclear capability that is safe, secure and effective. “Deterring a direct attack on the United States and our allies is a priority mission, requiring homeland and regional defenses tied to secure conventional and nuclear strike capabilities,” the document states. […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 6/19/2015 Despite recently expressed industry concerns, the Air Force this week maintained that it is continuing its stated course of action of analyzing the business case for re-engining the B-52, with a hopeful RFP release for the planned program by the end of this summer, a service spokesperson told NS&D Monitor […]

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 […]

IN DOE The Department of Energy’s Integrated Support Center-Oak Ridge has awarded Black Box Corporation $33.4 million for “operations, maintenance and upgrades to the Oak Ridge Federal Integrated Communications Network,” the company announced this week. The Pennsylvania-based company will provide integrated telecommunications support for sites that include Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 Security […]

Alissa Tabirian  NS&D Monitor  6/26/2015 A key Air Force general yesterday rejected the charge that there are morale problems in the nuclear forces despite numerous cheating and misconduct problems exposed in recent years. In testimony before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, 20th Air Force commander, acknowledged “huge” […]

Brian Bradley  NS&D Monitor  6/26/2015 If existing nuclear forces are not modernized, the U.S. will lose its existing deterrent capabilities in the 2020s and 2030s, the Pentagon’s No. 2 official said Thursday. “The choice that we’re facing quite frankly…is not [between] keeping the existing force or modernizing the force,” Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said Thursday […]

Alissa Tabirian NS&D Monitor 6/26/2015 The United States must ramp up spending on defense and nuclear weapons modernization to maintain technological superiority and counter increases in Russia’s defense budget and modernization efforts, according to Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC). “They continue to crank out new nuclear warheads and […]

The United States must ramp up spending on defense and nuclear weapons modernization to maintain technological superiority and counter increases in Russia’s defense budget and modernization efforts, according to Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. “They continue to crank out new nuclear warheads and maintain an advantage on tactical warheads […]

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter yesterday said Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987 and recent nuclear sabre rattling raises serious questions about Moscow’s commitment to global strategic stability. “Moscow’s nuclear sabre rattling raises questions about Russia’s commitment to strategic stability and causes us…to wonder about their respect…and whether they continue to respect […]

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 […]

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 […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 6/12/2015 A government watchdog organization is concerned that two top Navy submarine officials might have violated anti-lobbying laws when they urged attendees of an October symposium to push their local Congressmen to support the Ohio-class Replacement (OR) Program. The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) sent a letter last week to U.S. […]