Defense & Military

In the latest scandal to hit the Air Force’s nuclear force, 34 airmen that stood watch over the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile fleet have been accused of cheating on a proficiency exam. New Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said in a joint press conference yesterday that an […]

The deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command has been suspended while he is investigated for issues related to gambling, Navy Capt. Pamela Kunze, a spokeswoman for Strategic Command, confirmed this weekend. Navy Vice Adm. Kunze said Vice Adm. Tim Giardina is being investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Details about Giardina’s gambling issues have […]

Maj. Gen. Michael Carey, the commander in charge of the Air Force’s intercontinental ballistic missiles, was relieved of his command late last week because of a “loss of trust and confidence in his leadership and judgment,” Air Force Global Strike Command said in a statement. Carey, a 35-year veteran of the Air Force, was removed […]

In another black mark for the Air Force’s nuclear mission, missileers at the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile fields twice this year were cited for leaving blast doors open in their control centers, the Associated Press reported yesterday. The blast doors that separate the ICBMs and the underground launch control center are a key defense against […]

Cuts to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s B61 life extension program could imperil the airborne leg of the nation’s nuclear deterrent, four former leaders of U.S. Strategic Command (and its Air Force predecessor, Strategic Air Command) said in a letter last month to key leaders on the Senate Appropriations and Armed Services committees. The B61 […]

Gen. Robert Kehler, the outgoing head of U.S. Strategic Command, said the nation needs to “control our appetites” as budget belt-tightening encroaches on efforts to modernize the nation’s nuclear deterrent. Speaking at the “Sustaining the Triad Conference” at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay (Ga.) Friday, Kehler emphasized—as he has during his three-year tenure at StratCom—the […]

Better coordination of the nuclear forces of the United States, the United Kingdom, and perhaps even France, could generate cost savings and possibly shrink the number of submarines needed by each country while having little impact on the deterrence postures of the allies, according to a British arms control expert. Paul Ingram, the executive director […]

Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter waded into a long-running debate about how much the U.S. spends on its nuclear arsenal, suggesting late last week that the reductions proposed by the Obama Administration won’t generate big savings. Carter said at the Aspen Security Forum that the Pentagon spends about $16 billion a year to maintain the […]

While there is confidence in the U.S. extended deterrent in Europe, some “ambiguity and doubts” still remain, a European nuclear deterrence expert said Friday. “Nobody in Europe doubts that would the U.S. really be threatened in the field of nuclear deterrence that the U.S. has the weight and the will to use their weapons,” François […]

Adm. Cecil Haney, the Obama Administration’s pick to be the next commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said during his confirmation hearing yesterday that he supports efforts to modernize the nation’s nuclear arsenal and weapons complex and said he would oppose unilateral reductions to the nuclear arsenal. President Obama in June outlined a plan to reduce […]

Strategic Command chief Gen. Robert Kehler ordered a root cause analysis of the morale and performance problems facing the Air Force’s nuclear crews, Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, the commander of the Air Force’s Global Strike Command, said yesterday. The morale among Air Force nuclear officers has been of particular concern over the last six years […]

Another Air Force nuclear unit has stumbled on an inspection, this time with the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana failing a recent nuclear surety inspection by the Air Force Global Strike Inspector General. In an Aug. 13 statement, Global Strike Command said the missile wing received an “unsatisfactory” rating because […]

An Air Force officer in charge of a unit that failed a nuclear surety inspection earlier this month was relieved of his command late last week, though officials at Malmstrom Air Force Base said the firing was not connected to the inspection failure. Col. David Lynch, the commander of the 341st Security Forces Group, was […]

Apparently, the Y-12 National Security Complex isn’t the only nuclear weapons site that has had a problem with wildlife. At Y-12, high false alarm rates attributed in part to animals tripping sensors were cited as one of the causes leading up to last year’s security breach, and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana has a […]

The National Nuclear Security Administration attempted to push the Obama Administration to request an anomaly for its weapons program in the Fiscal Year 2014 Continuing Resolution, but the Administration ultimately left the agency off of its list of requested exceptions for the funding legislation, a senior Pentagon official said yesterday. Speaking on the sidelines of […]

The United States may be facing a massive price tag to modernize the nation’s nuclear deterrent, but it’s a necessary cost, senior Air Force officials said yesterday at the Air Force Association Air and Space Conference. In the face of difficult budget realities, Air Force Global Strike Command chief Lt. Gen. James Kowalski continued to […]

The Navy’s hesitancy to begin work studying an interoperable warhead that could be used to replace the W88 and W78 warheads is endangering the project’s schedule, according to a Government Accountability Office report released late Friday. The National Nuclear Security Administration and the Air Force have been studying the concept since 2010, but the Navy […]

The House Armed Services Committee will mark up its version of the Fiscal Year 2014 Defense Authorization Act Wednesday, and Republicans are expected to unveil language that would limit the Obama Administration’s ability to implement the New START Treaty. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chairman of the panel’s Strategic Forces Subcommittee, said last month that […]

Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak, the Air Force’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, said recent reports that morale is low among the Air Force’s nuclear crews are overblown, and he said he observed “exceedingly good” spirits among airmen. Citing an unreleased Rand Corp. report and an email from senior leaders at […]

House and Senate authorizers are scheduled to take further action on the Fiscal Year 2014 Defense Authorization Act this week, with the Senate Armed Services Committee planning to mark up its version of the bill starting Tuesday and the full House likely to take up its version of the bill mid-week. The House Armed Services […]

Former Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, who retired from the Senate earlier this year, suggested yesterday that the National Nuclear Security Administration needs more autonomy to better do its job, and he argued that freedom could come by shifting NNSA under the Pentagon. Before he left the Senate, Kyl helped author legislation that created a 12-member […]

U.S. Strategic Command Commander Gen. Robert Kehler said yesterday he has recently seen improvements in the relationship between the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Defense, but said that “significant issues” remain and he is undecided on  potential changes to NNSA governance. Kehler’s remarks come as a Congressionally-mandated NNSA governance  panel gets set […]

The Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee will hold a hearing next week on recent revisions to the nation’s nuclear employment strategy, but it will be closed to the public. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs Madelyn Creedon and Strategic Command chief Gen. Robert Kehler will testify during the July 17 hearing in […]

On the heels of his participation in a review of physical security across the weapons complex, retired Air Force Gen. Donald Alston is set to begin a review of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Secure Transportation. The NNSA said Monday that it intends to negotiate a labor hour purchase order with Alston to […]

Former Department of Defense official Steven Ho will head up the National Nuclear Security Administration’s new Office of Program Review and Analysis, which is designed to strengthen the NNSA’s budgeting and planning processes. The just-created office was established as a result of recent collaboration between the NNSA and DoD’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation group, […]

Strategic Command chief Gen. Robert Kehler and acting National Nuclear Security Administration head Neile Miller will testify before the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee next week along with a handful of other Administration officials. Madelyn Creedon, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, […]

As the Obama Administration moves to further reduce the size of the nation’s nuclear stockpile, it should do so cautiously, according to Maj. Gen. Stephen Wilson, the commander of the 8th Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base and the Joint Functional Component-Global Strike for U.S. Strategic Command. “We need to be cognizant of a […]

Senate Republicans dropped their opposition of Chuck Hagel yesterday, approving President Obama’s controversial Defense Secretary nominee by a mostly party line 58-41 vote. Before the President’s Day recess, the GOP had filibustered Hagel, blocking Democrats from ending debate on Hagel and moving to a final vote, but a handful of Republicans switched sides yesterday to […]

The Department of Defense has enjoyed significantly more influence over the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget formulation, U.S. Strategic Command chief Gen. Robert Kehler told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday. Congress last year began requiring the Nuclear Weapons Council to certify the NNSA’s budget, urging it to take an active role […]

The National Council of Security Police formally outlined its opposition to a House bill that would have the military protect the nation’s weapons complex in a letter to lawmakers yesterday, suggesting strengthened federal oversight and more funding as a better way of beefing up security. In its letter to Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), the author […]