Defense & Military

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) is in line to be the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, NS&D Monitor has learned. Sessions served as the ranking member of the panel for the last four years and the top Republican on the panel eight of the last 10 years—he temporarily turned over the reins […]

Ash Carter, President Obama’s nominee to be the next Secretary of Defense, will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee in early February, giving him time to recover from back surgery in December, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told reporters yesterday. McCain said the committee was ready to immediately have a hearing for Carter, but Carter […]

The Defense Department Inspector General on Friday released its “Semiannual Report to the Congress,” which shows that DoD IG completed one report focusing on the ballistic missile submarines’ communications systems and 76 reports defense-wide during the reporting period from April 1, to Sept. 30. Furthermore, the semiannual report shows that the “Nuclear Enterprise” category – […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/19/2014 During a webcasted town hall meeting bringing together airmen from across the globe, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James called the nuclear enterprise the service’s “No. 1 mission.” James then struck a chord similar to the one she and other top service officials have in the past, citing the need […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/19/2014 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has signed a memo instructing the director of the division of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation within the Office of the Secretary of Defense to evaluate whether implementation of several personnel- and resource-related reforms within the nuclear enterprise are having the desired effect. CAPE leadership plans […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/19/2014 As the Navy continues its investigation into alleged recordings of undressed female sailors aboard the USS Wyoming ballistic missile submarine, NS&D Monitor has learned new details surrounding the documented events. Whereas previous media reports suggested that a 24-year-old male was the subject of an investigation focusing on the alleged recording […]

Robert Scher, the President’s nominee to be the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities, was confirmed late Tuesday night shortly before the Senate adjourned. Scher was part of a group of noncontroversial nominees confirmed by unanimous consent Tuesday, ending a relatively short wait for the Pentagon official. Scher was nominated to the […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/12/2014 After news broke that allegations of a sailor secretly recording female officers showering aboard a nuclear missile ballistic missile submarine had surfaced, House lawmakers expressed concern about morale in nuclear forces. Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), chair of the House Armed Services Committee in a statement released Dec. 5, called the […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/12/2014 Robert Scher, the Obama Administration’s pick to be the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities, was cleared by the Senate Armed Services Committee this week. Scher was one of three civilian nominees on Dec. 9 that the Senate Armed Services Committee favorably reported out, by voice vote, […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/12/2014 Less than a month after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Nov. 14 announced oversight and organizational changes within the troubled nuclear enterprise, the Air Force yesterday announced it will combine acquisition and product support management functions into a single two-star command based at Kirtland AFB, N.M. Air Force Secretary Deborah […]

Robert Scher, nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities has been reported to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote, a Senate staffer confirmed yesterday. Scher was one of three civilian nominees yesterday that the Senate Armed Services Committee favorably reported out, by voice vote, to the Senate floor. Scher was […]

Less than a month after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Nov. 14 announced oversight and organizational changes within the troubled nuclear enterprise, the Air Force yesterday announced it will align accountability for missiles, launch systems and equipment support under a single command. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James announced the move during a keynote address […]

The second Senate Armed Services Committee hearing for a handful of Pentagon nominees, including Robert Scher, the Obama Administration’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities, has been canceled. SASC made the announcement yesterday, six days after Scher’s SASC hearing, during which committee Chair Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Sen. Kelly Ayotte […]

After news broke that allegations of a sailor secretly recording three female officers showering aboard a nuclear missile ballistic missile submarine had surfaced, Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), chair of the House Armed Services Committee in a statement released Dec. 5, called the news of alleged misconduct aboard the USS Wyoming “unwelcome and unacceptable,” and added […]

Robert Scher, the Obama Administration’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities, will attend a second confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee today, after some senators requested additional time to ask questions after the first hearing this week. SASC Chair Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 12/5/2014 An Operations Squad Commander with the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Secure Transportation “engaged in unsuitable, reportable behaviors,” the Department of Energy’s Inspector General said this week. The IG did not release its Nov. 24 report on the Office of Secure Transportation, which protects nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/5/2014 President Obama has tapped former Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter, a physicist who oversaw various aspects of U.S. nuclear weapons policy working under two administrations, as outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s successor, the White House said on Dec. 5. Hagel resigned on Nov. 24, 10 days after he announced he […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/5/2014 Robert Scher, the Obama Administration’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities, will attend a second confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee Dec. 8, after some senators requested additional time to ask questions after the first hearing this week. Next week’s hearing will fall […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/5/2014 Malmstrom AFB has announced that the military will prosecute a missileer in connection with an unreleased criminal drug investigation by the Office of Special Investigations. 2nd Lt. Nicole Dalmazzi, of the 341st Missile Wing’s 12th Missile Squadron at Malmstrom AFB, is the first missileer the Air Force has said it […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/5/2014 The Nov. 28 release of a Final Environmental Impact Statement has activated a 30-day waiting period before Air Force officials will decide whether to expand the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC), currently used by B-52s housed at Minot AFB and B-1s housed at Ellsworth AFB. The PRTC currently spans approximately […]

The 20th Air Force has announced that the military will prosecute a missileer in connection with an unreleased drug investigation that also uncovered cheating on monthly proficiency tests among missileers at Malmstrom AFB. 2nd Lt. Nicole Dalmazzi, of the 341st Missile Wing’s 12th Missile Squadron at Malmstrom AFB, is the first missileer the Air Force […]

Robert Scher, the Obama Administration’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities, signaled support for nuclear modernization and fixing the problems found in recent reviews of the nuclear enterprise in testimony yesterday at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.  “[W]e have spent a lot of time working to ensure […]

The Obama Administration has tapped former Deputy Defense Secretary Dr. Ash Carter to replace Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, according to Dec. 2 reports. Carter has previous Administration experience, working two years as Deputy Defense Secretary under Hagel and predecessor Leon Panetta, and two years as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. From […]

An Operations Squad Commander with the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Secure Transportation “engaged in unsuitable, reportable behaviors,” the Department of Energy’s Inspector General said yesterday. The IG did not release its report on the Office of Secure Transportation, which protects nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons components as they are transported around the weapons […]

The Senate Armed Services Committee at 9:30 a.m. today will consider the nomination of Robert Scher to be the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities. President Obama nominated Scher on Sept. 12, to replace Madelyn Creedon, who departed the Pentagon earlier this year to serve as the Principal Deputy Administrator of the […]

The Nov. 28 release of a Final Environmental Impact Statement has activated a 30-day waiting period before Air Force officials will decide whether to expand the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC), which is used by B-52’s housed at Minot AFB and B-1’s housed at Ellsworth AFB. The PRTC currently spans approximately 9,600 horizontal square miles, […]

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 […]

Ten days after announcing reforms to the troubled U.S. nuclear enterprise, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Nov. 24 announced his resignation, which will take effect upon Senate approval of his successor. “I have today submitted my resignation as secretary of defense,” he stated in remarks delivered alongside President Obama during a press conference in the White […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 11/21/2014 In the wake of two reports released  last week that exposed widespread flaws in U.S. nuclear enterprise personnel structures, the Defense Department has vowed to grow Global Strike Command by 1,100 military and civilian billets, up from the personnel increase of 848 announced in August. The increases are aimed at […]