Defense & Military

Officials Push for New Air Force Modernization Fund, Make the Case for Strategic Funding Sandia Labs Chief Says B61 OK Under a CR—For Now NNSA Advisory Panel Wrapping Up Work, but Report’s Release Before or After Election Unclear LANL Director Emphasizes Advantages of Keeping Cleanup Work in Contract U.S. Officials to Continue Push for CTBT […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 With a large bill to modernize the bomber- and ground-based legs of the nuclear triad looming, Air Force officials are discussing the potential creation of a national strategic deterrent fund, similar to the Sea-Based Deterrence Fund the Navy has proposed as a way to pay for its Ohio-class nuclear submarine […]

Todd Jacobson WC Monitor 9/19/2014 With work on the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Authorization Act pushed back until after the November Congressional elections, House and Senate Armed Services Committee members began meeting this week for “pre-conference” talks, but Senate authorizers were absent when House members of the Strategic Forces subcommittee gather for discussions. According to […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 Andrew Weber, who is stepping down as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs, is likely to continue to stay in the Obama Administration, he told NS&D Monitor this week. Speaking on the sidelines of a conference on nuclear testing at the U.S. Institute of […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 As the Air Force is downsizing, $500 million will reinvigorate Global Strike Command’s Future Years Defense Program, and the command will bring in more than 1,100 people during the next several years as part of its Force Improvement Program (FIP), officials said this week. Officials announced the FIP in August […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 President Obama has nominated Robert Scher to be the new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities in a move to replace Madelyn Creedon, who left the Pentagon to serve as the Principal Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration earlier this year. If he’s confirmed, Scher […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/19/2014 With work on the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Authorization Act pushed back until after the November Congressional elections, House and Senate Armed Services Committee members began meeting this week for “pre-conference” talks, but Senate authorizers were absent when House members of the Strategic Forces subcommittee gather for discussions. According to […]

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) told the London-based Sunday Express that he would support relocating UK’s nuclear weapons-laden Vanguard-class submarines to U.S. shores should Scotland gain independence in a vote scheduled for today. Aides of Sensenbrenner, who is the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, confirmed the accuracy of the article, […]

President Obama has nominated Robert Scher to be the new Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities in a move to replace Madelyn Creedon, who left the Pentagon to serve as the Principal Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration earlier this year. If he’s confirmed, Scher will slide into the Strategy, […]

Andrew Weber, who said last week that he is stepping down as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs, is likely to stay in the Administration, he told NS&D Monitor yesterday. Speaking on the sidelines of a conference on nuclear testing at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Weber declined to […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 Andrew Weber, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs, said late this week that he will step down from his position this fall after more than five years in the role. Weber’s departure was first reported by Weapons Complex Morning Briefing. Weber, who also serves […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 The vote for Scottish independence next week could have significant impacts on the future of the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent as Scottish leaders have vowed to remove the UK’s nuclear warheads and submarines from the base in Scotland that is their exclusive home should Scots vote for independence. There is […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 9/12/2014 The NATO Wales Summit ended late last week with no change to the alliance’s nuclear posture. Deep within the summit declaration was language mirroring previous statements in NATO’s 2012 Deterrence and Defense Posture Review and 2010 Strategic Concept indicating that the alliance will remain nuclear as long as nuclear weapons […]

Andrew Weber, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs, is expected to announce as soon as today that he is leaving his position, NS&D Monitor has learned. Weber, who also serves as the staff director of the Nuclear Weapons Council, has served in the position since 2009, overseeing the Defense […]

The NATO Wales Summit ended late last week with no change to the alliance’s nuclear posture. Within the summit declaration was language mirroring previous statements in NATO’s 2012 Deterrence and Defense Posture Review and 2010 Strategic Concept indicating that the alliance will remain nuclear as long as nuclear weapons exist. “The strategic nuclear forces of […]

NATO allies that will gather in Wales for a summit today and tomorrow aren’t likely to make any changes to the alliance’s nuclear posture, according to the former U.S. representative to the alliance. Ivo Daalder, who is now the president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, suggested yesterday during a conference call with reporters […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 8/29/2014 An Atlantic Council/Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security issue brief urges NATO to renew its focus on nuclear deterrence, calling nuclear weapons a “’core element of’ the Alliance’s ‘overall strategy.” The piece, published this week, dubs this era “the Second Nuclear Age,” and predicts tensions in Ukraine and the South […]

The following interview with Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak, the Air Force Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration (A10), was conducted by Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor Reporter Brian Bradley. NS&D Monitor 8/29/2014 There’s been a lot of attention focused on the cheating scandal in the Air Force missileer ranks and recovering […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 8/22/2014 A new bipartisan National Institute for Public Policy study has concluded that minimum deterrence is an ineffective model for the post-Cold War world.  Along with several academics, six retired high-level military officers and three former U.S. ambassadors contributed to the 59-page report titled “Minimum Deterrence: Examining the Evidence.” The study […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 8/22/2014 As Airmen face uncertainty related to the Air Force budget and service downsizing, the service has moved $50 million to shore up immediate, near-term nuclear facility upgrades and to compensate additional personnel to staff crucial jobs within Global Strike Command. The service has requested $350 million for GSC’s five-year-long Future […]

The NRC Staff recommended yesterday that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission move forward with a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Defense to clarify the Commission’s role in regulating the DOD’s radium remediation efforts. Back in 2011, the Staff prepared a guidance document to settle regulatory problems with the DOD’s use of radium, but the […]

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 […]

The Air Force will boost nuclear personnel at five Global Strike Command missile and bomber wings starting this fall, officials said Aug. 7. Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, and F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming will see the greatest increases, with additions of 303 and 242 positions, respectively. Air Force Secretary Deborah […]

The Senate continued slowly confirming the Obama Administration’s nuclear nominees, clearing Brian McKeon as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy yesterday. He was confirmed by voice vote. McKeon, who was nominated to the position in January, had his nomination held up over GOP concerns about potential Russian violations of the Intermediate Nuclear […]

NS&D Monitor 7/3/2014 IN THE AIR FORCE As part of a push to improve its nuclear mission, Air Force Global Strike Command has established an assistant director of operations at its missile squadrons in an effort to foster better communication between young airmen and senior leaders. The position is part of a Force Improvement Program […]

Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 6/27/2014 The Air Force is set to begin briefing leadership on the results of its analysis of alternatives for replacing the current fleet of Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles, Global Strike Command chief Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson said this week. The analysis covers a variety of options for the new “Ground-Based […]

The Air Force is set to begin briefing leadership on the results of its analysis of alternatives for replacing the current fleet of Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles, Global Strike Command chief Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson said yesterday. The analysis covers a variety of options for the new “Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent” starting in about 2030, […]

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 3/28/2014 Nine Air Force leaders have been removed from command and the commander of the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base has resigned as a result of an investigation into widespread cheating among the ICBM force at Malmstrom. Air Force leaders unveiled the results of an Office of Special […]

NS&D Monitor 3/31/2014   The following is adapted from Dr. Harvey’s October remarks to the Congressional Advisory Panel on NNSA Governance. Dr. Harvey updated his presentation for NS&D Monitor this week. The draft recommendations from the Panel are expected to be released next week. I am pleased to offer a perspective on the issues facing […]