Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad

WASHINGTON — The aspiring chair of the House Armed Services Committee wants to scrap the Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review, whip up a multilateral Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces-style treaty, and take a run at making no-first-use the nuclear law of the land. Speaking here Wednesday at the Ploughshares Fund’s “Future of U.S. Nuclear Policy” conference, Rep. […]

WASHINGTON — The aspiring chair of the House Armed Services Committee wants to scrap the Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review, whip up a multilateral Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces-style treaty, and take a run a making no-first-use the nuclear law of the land. Speaking here Wednesday at the Ploughshares Fund’s “Future of U.S. Nuclear Policy” conference, Rep. […]

Boeing has been awarded a $70.5 million contract modification for the Air Force’s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) flight test, telemetry and termination program, the Defense Department said Nov. 13. The modification changes the “specifications for the parts management plan, flight termination receiver, electromagnetic interference, cable qualification requirements, and antenna testing requirements,” according to […]

A top Navy official on Thursday said the next-generation submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) to be featured on the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine will incorporate some elements of the current Trident D5 Life Extension (D5LE) weapon. Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, director of Strategic Systems Programs (SSP), told the Naval Submarine League’s annual symposium on Thursday the follow-on […]

Botching welds on 12 missile tubes for the Columbia-class submarine earlier this year proved a costly mistake for BWX Technologies, which on Wednesday said the problems with its welding program in Indiana were more complicated than first thought. On a conference call with investors, BWXT said its Nuclear Operations Group took a $40 million revenue hit in […]

Huntington Ingalls Industries said Tuesday its Newport News Shipbuilding had secure a roughly $200 million subcontract modification to provide long-lead components, including commodities materials, and labor for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine. Huntington Ingalls is a major subcontractor on General Dynamics Electric Boat’s roughly $5 billion Naval Sea Systems Command prime contract to develop and […]

ARLINGTON, Va. — The head of the joint Navy-Department of Energy naval reactors program said Wednesday construction on the first Columbia-class ballistic submarine will begin in 2021, but warned that “there will be problems” and that the Navy will “have to work hard to get her on patrol in 2031.” “We need Columbia boats,” Adm. […]

Huntington Ingalls Industries said Tuesday its Newport News Shipbuilding had secure a roughly $200 million subcontract modification to provide long-lead components, including commodities materials, and labor for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine. Huntington Ingalls is a major subcontractor on General Dynamics Electric Boat’s roughly $5 billion Naval Sea Systems Command prime contract to develop and […]

ARLINGTON, Va. — The head of the joint Navy-Department of Energy naval reactors program said Wednesday construction on the first Columbia-class ballistic submarine will begin in 2021, but warned that “there will be problems” and that the Navy will “have to work hard to get her on patrol in 2031.” “We need Columbia boats,” Adm. […]

The head of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s naval reactors program, steward of the heavy-industry programs that provide nuclear propulsion systems for the Navy, is scheduled to speak Wednesday to industry and press just outside Washington, D.C., at the 36th annual Naval Submarine League conference. Adm. James Caldwell is on the slate for a half-hour […]

The Department of Energy and the Pentagon could be studying a new nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile by this time next year, the Energy Department’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said this week in an annual report on its nuclear-weapon programs. The Donald Trump administration called on DOE to research the weapon in the Nuclear […]

Next-generation nuclear missiles and submarines were among the weapons systems reviewed for hacking vulnerabilities by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a report published this week, The New York Times reported.  Citing interviews with unidentified GAO officials, the Times said the classified version of the report published in unclassified form Tuesday included a look at the cyber vulnerabilities […]

Rich Abott Defense Daily Lockheed Martin won hundreds of millions in U.S. Navy contract modifications for work on new procurement of Trident II (D5) submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) on Sept. 28. The Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs awarded the company a $333 million cost-plus-incentive-fee cost-plus-fixed-fee modification for new procurement of Trident II deployed systems support. The […]

Lockheed Martin [LMT] won hundreds of millions in U.S. Navy contract modifications for work on new procurement of Trident II (D5) submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) on Sept. 28. The Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs awarded the company a $333 million cost-plus-incentive-fee cost-plus-fixed-fee modification for new procurement of Trident II deployed systems support. The work will largely be […]

Vivienne Machi Defense Daily More B-21 aircraft could be procured if the Air Force succeeds in doubling its number of bomber squadrons over the next decade, but service officials are not yet ready to talk tails. The Air Force’s proposal to increase its squadron numbers from 312 to 386 by the 2025-2030 timeframe would include […]

President Donald Trump on Friday signed fiscal 2019 appropriations legislation that would provide full-year funding for the Department of Defense, with a plus-up for its nuclear missile programs. Trump signed the measure days after the House of Representatives passed it by a vote of 361-61, following Senate approval last week. Trump signed the bill despite […]

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved fiscal 2019 appropriations legislation that would provide full-year funding for the Department of Defense, with a plus-up for its nuclear missile programs. The 361-61 vote, following Senate approval last week, sends the $855 billion legislation to President Donald Trump for signing. While Trump has complained about […]

More B-21 aircraft could be procured if the Air Force succeeds in doubling its number of bomber squadrons over the next decade, but service officials are not yet ready to talk tails. The Air Force’s proposal to increase its squadron numbers from 312 to 386 by the 2025-2030 timeframe would include five additional bomber squadrons, […]

The Defense Department’s fiscal 2019 budget is a step closer to President Donald Trump’s desk, after the Senate on Tuesday voted 93-7 in favor of an appropriations bill that funds the Pentagon for the full year and keeps most other federal agencies going at 2018 spending levels through Dec. 7. The Department of Energy is […]

Rich Abott Defense Daily The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) a $481 million modification on last Thursday for more Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) program long-lead time work. The cost-plus-fixed-fee modification is in preparation for FY 2019 and 2020 lead-ship advance procurement, advance construction, and long-lead time material funding for the Columbia-class. […]

The Defense Department’s fiscal 2019 budget is a step closer to President Donald Trump’s desk, after the Senate on Tuesday voted 93-7 in favor of an appropriations bill that funds the Pentagon for the full year and keeps other federal agencies going through Dec. 7. The final DOD appropriations bill still must be approved by […]

The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) awarded General Dynamics [GD] Electric Boat (GDEB) a $481 million modification on last Thursday for more Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) program long-lead time work. The cost-plus-fixed-fee modification is in preparation for FY 2019 and 2020 lead-ship advance procurement, advance construction, and long-lead time material funding for the Columbia-class. This award for the […]

The House and Senate this week sent a multiagency spending bill to President Donald Trump’s desk that boosts the Department of Energy’s budget for nuclear warhead modernization, and reached a compromise on separate appropriations legislation that would accelerate development of the missiles that will carry those weapons. Congress overwhelmingly approved the warhead funding as part of […]

As Congress prepares to vote on a final Department of Energy budget that would substantially increase funding for nuclear-warhead refurbishments, lawmakers are also racing toward a compromise on a separate spending measure that could accelerate development of the missile that will carry those weapons. House and Senate lawmakers are scheduled today to meet for final […]

By Rich Abott Defense Daily The Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine is currently in good shape but the program has little room for error and may require tighter oversight, the Chief of Naval Operations said on Wednesday. “I say [the program is] on track and that’s true, but it is right on track. And so we need […]

The United States does not need as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as the Air Force plans to build, and Congress should take another look at a low-yield warhead lawmakers just approved, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said Wednesday. “I think we have too many ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missiles], absolutely,” Rep. Adam […]

The Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine is currently in good shape but the program has little room for error and may require tighter oversight, the Chief of Naval Operations said on Wednesday. “I say [the program is] on track and that’s true, but it is right on track. And so we need to find some margin in […]

ARLINGTON, Va. — The United States does not need as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as the Air Force plans to build, and Congress should take another look at a low-yield warhead lawmakers just approved, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said here. “I think we have too many ICBMs, absolutely,” Rep. Adam […]

Some time after they return to Washington next week, the House and Senate will come together for final negotiations on a fiscal 2019 defense spending bill that cleared the upper chamber last week. The Senate on Aug. 23 approved a multiagency appropriations measure with Pentagon funding that provided a small boost for development of a next-generation […]

The Senate on Thursday approved a fiscal 2019 Pentagon spending bill that provided a small boost for development of a next-generation nuclear-tipped, air-launched cruise missile, and met the White House’s funding request for development of the next nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile. While the Senate approved less funding for both efforts than did the House, the […]