Delivery Systems & Nuclear Triad

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 1/16/2015 During what is expected to be his last official visit to a U.S. nuclear enterprise base as Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel on Jan. 13 told B-2 airmen serving at Whiteman AFB that the Air Force cannot afford to fall behind in nuclear modernization efforts and said work on the long-range […]

The Air Force decided on Friday to move forward with plans to expand the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC) used by B-1’s and B-52’s, choosing its originally preferred alternative of four possible options. “The Air Force decision incorporated a variety of mitigations devised to address, in a balanced manner, the concerns raised by the public, […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 1/16/2015 Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James on Jan. 14 said the Long Range Stand-Off Weapon (LRSO) will be analyzed under a new set of acquisition criteria which will assess the relationship between costs and capability requirements. Officials to achieve a lower cost estimate by slightly relaxing capability requirements. The future […]

Boeing Hints at Possible Protest After Debrief From Air Force Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 1/16/2015 Northrop Grumman Technical Services on Wednesday won a $963.5 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, beating out Boeing to sustain the Minuteman 3 Ground Subsystem until Jan. 31, 2020, as part of the Future ICBM Sustainment and Acquisition Concept (FISAC). If Northrop Grumman […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 1/16/2015 Lockheed Martin is competing for the Propulsion Subsystem contract to be awarded as part of the Future ICBM Sustainment and Acquisition Concept (FISAC), a company spokeswoman told NS&D Monitor late last week. Slated to be the last of four subsystem contracts awarded under the new Air Force-managed FISAC contracting structure, the […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 1/16/2015 The Hill AFB division of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center on Tuesday released a Request for Proposals for Reentry Field Support Equipment (RFSE), which will replace 40-plus-year-old nuclear warhead test equipment consisting of the Reentry System Test Set (RSTS) and Safety Enhanced Reentry Vehicle (SERV) Field Test Set (SFTS). […]

Northrop Grumman yesterday was named the recipient of a $963.5 million contract, beating out Boeing to sustain the Minuteman 3 Ground Subsystem until Jan. 31, 2020, as part of the Future ICBM Sustainment and Acquisition Concept (FISAC). Northrop’s was the third subsystem–and fourth overall–contract awarded under the FISAC, after the Defense Department respectively named BAE […]

Four months after a Pentagon official said the government was reconsidering whether to develop the replacement for the air-launched cruise missile (ALCM), the Air Force’s top official yesterday announced plans to move forward with acquisition of the Long-Range Standoff Weapon (LRSO) under a new initiative designed to cut costs while potentially slightly loosening capability requirements. […]

Industry officials expect the Air Force today to award a contract to sustain the Ground Subsystem portion of the Future ICBM Sustainment and Acquisition Concept, an executive told Weapons Complex Morning Briefing in an email yesterday. Northrop Grumman and Boeing have announced that they are bidding on the Ground Subsystem, whose award is expected just […]

During what is expected to be his last official visit to a U.S. nuclear enterprise base as Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel yesterday told B-2 airmen serving at Whiteman AFB that the Air Force cannot afford to fall behind in nuclear modernization efforts and said work on the long-range strike bomber (LRSB) should continue. The Air […]

Lockheed Martin is competing for the Propulsion Subsystem contract to be awarded as part of the Future ICBM Sustainment and Acquisition Concept (FISAC), a company spokeswoman told Weapons Complex Morning Briefing late last week. Slated to be the last of four subsystem contracts awarded under the new Air Force-managed FISAC contracting structure, the Propulsion Subsystem contract […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 1/9/2015 The Air Force is expected to award a contract by mid-January to sustain the Ground Subsystem for the Minuteman 3 as part of the Future Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Sustainment and Acquisition Concept (FISAC) after the service on Jan. 8 named Boeing the awardee of a $51.2 million cost-plus-award-fee FISAC contract […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 1/9/2015 With the $100 billion Ohio-Class submarine replacement program threatening to disrupt the Navy’s goal of building up to a 300-ship fleet by 2019, the service’s top acquisition official on Jan. 6 underscored the need for Congress and the Navy to have a “very important discussion” on SSBN(X) funding. Speaking during […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 1/9/2015 The Air Force will host an Industry Day for the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), the expected follow-on for the Minuteman 3, at Hill AFB in Utah from Feb. 18-20. Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate are sponsoring the classified […]

The Sea-Based Deterrence Fund that Congressional authorizers approved in the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act represents a "zero-sum" game without additional top-line funding to relieve the financial burden the Ohio Replacement Program is expected to have on the wider Navy shipbuilding budget, a top Navy official said earlier this week. Speaking Tuesday during […]

The Air Force on Monday evening announced that Hill AFB from Feb. 18-20 will host an Industry Day for the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), the expected follow-on for the Minuteman 3. Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate are sponsoring the classified event, whose attendance […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/19/2014 A report released this week by the Congressional Budget Office estimates the total production cost of the Ohio-class replacement submarine at $92 billion, compared with the Navy’s $79 billion estimate. While the Navy has asserted its estimate is partly explained by a would-be favorable cost-by-weight ratio generated through its plan […]

A report released Monday by the Congressional Budget Office estimates the total cost of production of the Ohio-class replacement submarine at $92 billion, compared with the Navy’s estimate of $79 billion. Additionally, CBO estimates research and development on the next-generation submarine to cost $10 to $15 billion, bringing the total projected cost to $102 to […]

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 […]

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 […]

FPU for Cruise Missile Warhead Required in 2025 According to Compromise Bill Todd Jacobson NS&D Monitor 12/5/2014 House and Senate authorizers have agreed to language in the recently completed compromise version of the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Authorization Act that would require a First Production Unit be completed on a new air-launched nuclear cruise missile […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/5/2014 House lawmakers voted this week to approve a final version of the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, which would establish a $3.5 billion National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund. The Senate is expected to follow suit next week. One provision of the bill would authorize the Defense Secretary to shift […]

Brian Bradley NS&D Monitor 12/5/2014 A report recently released by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office last week states that a reduction of the planned nuclear ballistic missile submarine posture from 12 to eight, a delay of the start construction date of the Ohio-class replacement from Fiscal Year 2021 to FY 2025, and a deferral of […]

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 […]

House and Senate authorizers have agreed to language in the recently completed compromise version of the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Authorization Act that would require a First Production Unit be completed on a new air-launched nuclear cruise missile warhead by 2025, reversing plans by the Administration to delay the warhead until 2027. House and Senate […]

If the military reduces its planned SSBN posture from 12 to eight, delays the start construction date of the Ohio-class replacement from Fiscal Year 2021 to FY 2025, and defers development of the long-range strike bomber until at least FY 2025, the U.S. would save $55 billion, according to a recently released Congressional Budget Office […]

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 […]