Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad

Marc Selinger Defense Daily President Donald Trump, who recently vowed to cut the cost of new Navy submarines, has various tools at his disposal that could help him achieve his goal, according to a naval expert. One such tool would be using multi-year procurement contracts for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, which is currently in development, […]

Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily Northrop Grumman on Thursday reported double-digit increases in earnings and sales, ending a solid year for the company on a strong note. The company also said that it ended 2016 with $45.3 billion in total backlog, a 26 percent hike above the $35.9 billion at the end of 2015, which was the […]

In a widely noted report this week calling for hundreds of billions of dollars in additional spending for the U.S. Defense Department, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) appears satisfied with the present program for modernizing the nation’s nuclear deterrent. “There is bipartisan consensus in support of the current nuclear modernization plan – replacing our ballistic missile […]

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees to lead the Departments of State and Defense this week offered divergent positions on the United States’ future relationship with Russia. Rex Tillerson, tagged as secretary of state, and James Mattis, the secretary of defense nominee, during their respective Senate confirmation hearings addressed the issues of U.S. projection of strength worldwide […]

Dan Parsons Defense Daily In a lengthy 11th-hour memo to President Barack Obama, outgoing Defense Secretary Ash Carter laid out an argument that the U.S. military is in better shape than it was eight years ago, but will require continued investment in modernization to maintain its superiority. “While the next Administration will continue to be […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily The Navy has formally received the go-ahead to begin detailed design of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine. Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall signed a memorandum late Jan. 4 authorizing the program’s next development phase. His move follows a Defense Acquisition Board review of the program in November. The Navy plans to build […]

The Defense Department last week awarded Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. two contract modifications for work in support of the Trident II (D5) missile, a submarine-launched ballistic missile deployed on the United States’ Ohio-class vessels and the United Kingdom’s Vanguard-class submarines. The Pentagon on Dec. 27 announced a $17 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to exercise an option for Trident II […]

Lockheed Martin said Thursday it began work in November on a $50 million contract to supply Minuteman III ICBM support technology. The defense contractor secured the four-year, firm-fixed-price deal in June for seven sets of ICBM re-entry system equipment and four additional units of support gear, according to a Lockheed press release. The equipment will […]

Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily Boeing on Tuesday said it plans to move the headquarters of its St. Louis-based Defense, Space & Security segment to the Washington, D.C., area in January to be closer to its customers. The initial move next month will involve about a dozen people, including Boeing’s Defense Chief Leanne Caret. Over time, the […]

U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) is leading a group of Democratic lawmakers in urging reconsideration of plans to modernize all three legs of the U.S. nuclear triad. The proposed Senate resolution, filed Friday, calls on the president to ensure that the modernization program for weapons and delivery systems being carried out by the Departments of […]

Slashing the size of the U.S. nuclear arsenal is one option to save tens of billions of dollars in the coming decade for efforts to reduce the growing federal deficit, the Congressional Budget Office said Thursday. The CBO’s latest analysis of deficit-cutting opportunities covers the 2017 to 2026 fiscal years and encompasses 115 options to […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily Six senators and 33 House members have signed letters urging key congressional appropriators to pass language allowing the successor to the Navy’s Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine to enter its next development phase. Navy officials have said the Ohio Replacement Program (ORP) must begin detailed design work by January to meet a requirement […]

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Tuesday penned a letter to Congress urging them to pass a full appropriations bill rather than confine the Defense Department to fiscal 2016 spending levels until May of next year. “I urge Congress to keep the CR (continuing resolution) as short as possible and finish full-year appropriations,” Carter wrote […]

Six senators and 33 House members have signed letters urging key congressional appropriators to pass language allowing the successor to the Navy’s Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine to enter its next development phase. Navy officials have said the Ohio Replacement Program (ORP) must begin detailed design work by January to meet a requirement to conduct the […]

Calvin Biesecker Defense Daily With efficiencies in mind, Boeing on Tuesday said it will consolidate its defense operations over the next four years and create a new international group to put more emphasis on its growing worldwide military sales. A spokesman for Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security segment told Defense Daily that any cost savings and potential charges associated […]

Pat Host Defense Daily The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) wants the Air Force to spend less on its new ICBM effort than the service has proposed. HASC Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said Thursday if Congress and the Pentagon have a realistic view of what the United States can accomplish, […]

Pat Host Defense Daily In its unsuccessful bid protest of the Air Force’s B-21 award to Northrop Grumman, Boeing argued the service failed to give proper effect to the solicitation’s technical acceptability, according to a redacted bid protest decision released Tuesday. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) in February denied Boeing’s argument to the solicitation’s technical […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily The Pentagon plans to conduct a high-level review of the Navy’s Ohio-class replacement submarine program in early November, a key service official said Oct. 26. The Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) meeting, overseen by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, is expected to scrutinize the program’s progress, formally green-light the effort and […]

In its unsuccessful bid protest of the Air Force’s B-21 award to Northrop Grumman, Boeing argued the service failed to give proper effect to the solicitation’s technical acceptability, according to a redacted bid protest decision released Tuesday. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) in February denied Boeing’s argument to the solicitation’s technical acceptability, saying the Air […]

Northrop Grumman and Boeing are teaming up with “industry partners” on their Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) contract bids, but neither is naming the companies involved. Last week Northrop, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin confirmed their bids for the technology maturation and risk reduction phase of the GBSD contract competition; Lockheed then identified the team of contractors […]

Northrop Grumman and Boeing are teaming up with “industry partners” on their Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) contract bids, but neither is naming the companies involved. Last week Northrop, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin confirmed their bids for the technology maturation and risk reduction phase of the GBSD contract competition; Lockheed then identified the team of contractors […]

Lockheed Martin delivered Tuesday its proposal for the technology maturation and risk reduction phase of the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) contract competition, and on Thursday identified the team of contractors that will offer technical support if Lockheed wins the award. The team encompasses General Dynamics for support on weapon system command and control; Draper Laboratory […]

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton suggested she would cancel the Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) nuclear cruise missile program if elected, according to leaked audio obtained by The Washington Free Beacon from a private campaign event held in Virginia in February. The Free Beacon reported Tuesday that the audio was obtained by hackers who breached a […]

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter touted the nation’s nuclear modernization efforts and existing deterrence strategy during a trip this week to areas central to the U.S. nuclear enterprise. He spoke to troops at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota – which hosts B-52H bombers and Minuteman III ICBMs – and Kirtland Air Force Base in […]

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Air Force Gen. John Hyten to be commander of U.S. Strategic Command, replacing outgoing Adm. Cecil Haney. Hyten currently leads the Air Force Space Command, overseeing U.S. space and cyberspace forces since assuming the position in 2014. Hyten has served in space acquisition and operations positions, including as vice commander […]

By Pat Host Defense Daily NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.–The Air Force is considering declassifying further parts of the B-21 Raider program, but a key service official warned that the program would not be entirely declassified. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) Director and Program Executive Officer (PEO) Randall Walden said Monday the service is working with […]

By Marc Selinger Defense Daily NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The U.S. Air Force revealed Sept. 19 that the service’s new B-21 bomber will be named the “Raider” in honor of Jimmy Doolittle’s Raiders. The Air Force picked “Raider” after holding a service-wide contest and reviewing more than 2,100 unique name submissions. Months after the Japanese […]

Pat Host Defense Daily NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.–It could take the Air Force more than a year to better refine its Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) cost estimate as service Secretary Deborah James said she wants to use industry input to better inform this effort. In the meantime, James said the Air Force would talk with the […]

Marc Selinger Defense Daily The U.S. Navy is in the “very early phases” of exploring what the successor to its Trident II D-5 ballistic missile will look like, a service official said Sept. 22. Navy engineers “have begun evaluating the technology areas that need to be examined” to develop the new submarine-launched, nuclear-armed missile, said […]

The United States must maintain and modernize all three legs of the nuclear triad, including through deployment of a new air-launched cruise missile, the Air Force general nominated to lead U.S. Strategic Command said on Tuesday. “it’s essential that we always maintain a fully ready nuclear deterrent capability. There should be no doubt that the […]