SEN. HOEVEN VOICES SUPPORT FOR ALCM, NUCLEAR MODERNIZATION

Calling the refurbishment of the air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) a “priority,” Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) was equally critical of the Administration’s decision this year to delay the replacement of the weapon in a speech yesterday at the Reserve Officers Association. “The Air Force will continue to extend the life of the existing ALCM, but eventually it will be obsolete, threatening the viability of the air-based deterrent,” Hoeven said. “We need to make investments today that ensure we have a viable air deterrent years into the future.” Hoeven also criticized the Administration for delaying other nuclear modernization programs, like the W78/W88 interoperable warhead and the Ohio Class nuclear submarine replacement program. “We know costs do not shrink over time,” he said, adding: “I understand that the costs are high, but deferring those costs to be borne by future administrations makes it all the more difficult to pay for modernization and increases the risk that key segments of our nuclear deterrent will fail.”

He noted that spending on the nuclear mission in Fiscal Year 2014 will cost about $23 billion, or about 4 percent of the defense budget. But he said that is a “bargain” and suggested it was necessary to support even higher modernization costs. “Modernization initiatives will increase those costs by perhaps $7 to $10 billion in coming years, but even devoting 5 or 6 percent of the defense budget to nuclear capabilities over the next several years seems reasonable for something that will pay dividends for decades to come,” he said.