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Gates Wants New Generation of US Nuclear Weapons
Gates Wants New Generation of US Nuclear Weapons
October 04, 2008 - The Chinese military is modernizing so fast that the U.S.should be building its own new weapon systems to counter it, this what's being said in a draft report by the US Secretary of State's International Security Advisory Board, We bring you this story based on an exclusive report from The Washington Times
Gates: Long-term outlook for nuke safety is bleak
http://ap. google. com/article/ALeqM5hCDeju8vdTC5o75wVmuG9SDrNtKgD9...
By ROBERT BURNS – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The long-term outlook for keeping U.S. nuclear weapons safe and reliable is "bleak," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.In part, he said, that was because the United States is experiencing a brain drain in the laboratories that design and develop the world's most powerful weapons
Gates said America's more than 5,000 nuclear weapons are now safe and secure, but he sketched out a series of concerns about the future, while stressing that nuclear weapons must remain a viable part of the U.S.strategy for deterring attack as long as other countries have them
"Hope as we will, the power of nuclear weapons and their strategic impact is a genie that cannot be put back in the bottle — at least for a very long time," he said in remarks at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think tank that advocates the elimination of nuclear arms
In a later question-and-answer session with his audience, Gates said he is concerned about the possibility that some Russian nuclear weapons from the old Soviet arsenal may not be fully accounted for
"I have fairly high confidence that no strategic or modern tactical nuclear weapons have leaked" beyond Russian borders, Gates said."What worries me are the tens of thousands of old nuclear mines, nuclear artillery shells and so on, because the reality is the Russians themselves probably don't have any idea how many of those they have or, potentially, where they are"
Gates also said that if were advising the next U.S.president, he would advocate new nuclear talks with Moscow
"I believe we should go for another agreement with the Russians," he said. "I believe it could involve further cuts in the number of deployed warheads. I believe we do need the verification provisions.But I think it ought to be an agreement that is shorter, simpler and easier to adjust to real-world conditions than most of the strategic arms agreements that we've seen over the last 40 years"
Both presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, advocate negotiating further reductions with Russia
Gates offered a number of reasons why the United States should maintain its nuclear arsenal, including the assertion that by providing an umbrella of protection for allies like Japan and South Korea, it removes a reason for those countries to feel the need to develop their own nuclear weapons
Echoing concerns by some congressional Republicans, Gates said there are reasons to worry about the U.S.arsenal
"Let me first say very clearly that our weapons are safe, secure and reliable," Gates said. "The problem is the long-term prognosis — which I would characterize as bleak." He noted that the United States has not designed a new nuclear weapon since the 1980s and has not built a new one since 1992
In his most extensive remarks on nuclear weapons since he became Pentagon chief nearly two years ago, Gates spelled out in detail his views on why nuclear weapons play a vital role in the broader U.S. defense strategy.And he called for urgent action to reverse a decline in focus on nuclear issues
"Currently the United States is the only declared nuclear power that is neither modernizing its nuclear arsenal nor has the capability to produce a new nuclear warhead," he said."To be blunt, there is absolutely no way we can maintain a credible deterrent and reduce the number of weapons in our stockpile without resorting to testing our stockpile or pursuing a modernization program"
The Gates remarks come amid a growing debate in national security circles over whether and how the United States should take the lead in pushing for the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons
Gates made clear he believes that such a goal, while reasonable, cannot be realized for many years
"We must take steps to transform from an aging Cold War nuclear weapons complex that is too large and expensive to a smaller, less costly but modern enterprise that can meet our nation's nuclear security needs for the future," Gates said
He urged Congress to drop its opposition to a long-stymied administration proposal to develop a design for a more secure nuclear warhead, saying it could be done without actual underground nuclear testing
"The program would reinvigorate and rebuild our infrastructure and expertise," Gates said
Asked about Iran by a member of his audience, Gates said he believed that the international community would not mind Iran having a nuclear program if it were devoted to civilian power generation and if Tehran had verifiably forsworn any ambition to develop nuclear weapons
Gates said he believes it is not too late to persuade Iran to give up on nuclear arms
"I think the pressures from the international community and ... economic pressures that caused them difficulty at home still have promise in terms of getting them to make a policy decision to go in another direction," he said."And it probably involves also some kind of assurances with respect to security"
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Gates Wants New Generation of US Nuclear Weapons
By Al Pessin
Washington
28 October 2008
http://www. voanews. com/english/2008-10-28-voa59. cfm
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is calling for the development of a new generation of American nuclear weapons to deter aggression by a variety of potential adversaries, including rogue states and terrorists.VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 28 Oct 2008
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 28 Oct 2008
Secretary Gates says the United States is the only declared nuclear power that does not have a nuclear weapons modernization program and the ability to build new nuclear warheads. He says U.S. allies France and Britain have such programs, as do two countries which he says are not U.S.adversaries, but whose nuclear modernization efforts can not be ignored
"China and Russia have embarked on ambitious paths to design and field new weapons.To be blunt, there is absolutely no way we can maintain a credible deterrent and reduce the number of weapons in our stockpile without either resorting to testing our stockpile or pursuing a modernization program," he said
Gates says China is expanding its nuclear arsenal, increasing the number of short-, medium- and long-range missiles it has, and the types of systems it has to deliver them. But he says there has been "a rudimentary start" to a U.S.strategic dialogue with China, which he hopes will build a foundation for future agreements to limit nuclear arms
Secretary Gates says Russia is increasing its reliance on nuclear weapons, with new intercontinental ballistic missiles, sea-based systems and atomic weapons manufacturing facilities, partly because they are less expensive than maintaining large conventional forces
He also expressed concern that some Russian nuclear weapons may have reached rogue states or terrorist organizations during the chaotic years following the fall of the Soviet Union
The secretary says the aging U.S. nuclear force is becoming less reliable every year, with no new systems and no testing, while the stockpile is also shrinking under existing treaty requirements. He says the old systems are reaching the limits of their potential for technological upgrades."We must take steps to transform from an aging Cold War nuclear weapons complex that is too large and too expensive, to a smaller, less costly but modern enterprise that can meet our nation's nuclear security needs for the future," he said
Secretary Gates called on the U.S. Congress to resume funding of a program to develop a new American nuclear warhead that he says would not expand capabilities, but could make it easier for the United States to reduce the overall number of weapons in its atomic arsenal. "The program we propose is not about new capabilities - suitcase bombs or bunker busters or tactical nukes. It is about safety, security and reliability.It is about the future credibility of our nuclear deterrent and it deserves urgent attention," he said
Gates says such a program would also revitalize U.S.nuclear science and related industries, which he says are in danger of being crippled by a lack of money and brainpower
The defense secretary spoke at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, an organization devoted to promoting global cooperation.Gates said he chose the venue to speak about nuclear weapons because he believes deterrence is as important today as it was during the Cold War - helping convince a variety of countries and groups not to attack the United States or its allies, and limiting their ability to put pressure on their neighbors
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US considering implications of nuclear decline
By ROBERT BURNS – 2 days ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The mighty U.S. arsenal of nuclear weapons, midwived by World War II and nurtured by the Cold War, is declining in power and purpose while the military's competence in handling the world's most dangerous arms has eroded.At the same time, international efforts to contain the spread of such weapons look ineffective
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, for one, wants the next president to think about what nuclear middle-age and decline means for national security
Gates joins a growing debate about the reliability and future credibility of the American arsenal with his first extensive speech on nuclear arms Tuesday. The debate is attracting increasing attention inside the Pentagon even as the military is preoccupied with fighting insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan.The unconventional tools of war there include covert commandos, but not nuclear weapons
Gates is expected to call for increased commitment to preserving the deterrent value of atomic weapons. Their chief function has evolved from first stopping the Nazis and Japanese, then the Soviets. Now the vast U.S.stockpile serves mainly to make any other nation think twice about developing or using even a crude nuclear device of its own
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, wrote in the current issue of an internal publication, Joint Force Quarterly, that the United States is overdue to retool its nuclear strategy. He referred to nuclear deterrence — the idea that the credible threat of U.S.nuclear retaliation is enough by itself to stop a potential enemy from striking first with a weapon of mass destruction
"Many, if not most, of the individuals who worked deterrence in the 1970s and 1980s — the real experts at this discipline — are not doing it anymore," Mullen wrote."And we have not even tried to find their replacements"
Gen. Kevin Chilton, commander of U.S.Strategic Command, which is responsible for maintaining the nation's nuclear war plans, told Congress last spring that technical nuclear expertise also is lagging
"The last nuclear design engineer to participate in the development and testing of a new nuclear weapon is scheduled to retire in the next five years," Chilton said
Of the two senators competing to succeed President Bush, Democrat Barack Obama is most unequivocally against building new nuclear weapons. Both he and Republican John McCain say in their campaign materials that they support the long-standing U.S. commitment to eventually do away with nuclear arms.Neither says explicitly that the safety or credibility of the arsenal is in question; that's an argument made most frequently by congressional Republicans
Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., for example, said in a speech Sept. 15 that the network of laboratories and industrial plants that produce and maintain U.S.nuclear weapons is, in some cases, "simply falling down from age," and that this amounts to an alarming national "emergency"
Some private experts dispute Kyl's assessment
"It's completely overblown," said Hans M. Kristensen, who tracks nuclear weapons developments for the Federation of American Scientists.The advocacy group opposes the Bush administration's proposal to develop a new nuclear weapon design
The number of nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal is a state secret. But Kristensen and a fellow expert, Robert S. Norris, estimate that the total stood at nearly 5,400 warheads at the start of this year.That includes an estimated 4,075 ready for potential use and 1,260 in backup status
In an interview, Kristensen argued that even though the number is declining, the capability of remaining weapons is increasing as older missiles, for example, get new engines, guidance sets and computer software
Gates takes a different view.He has expressed concern about lack of official attention to the nuclear arsenal
"Even though the days of hair-trigger superpower confrontation are over, as long as other nations possess the bomb and the means to deliver it, the United States must maintain a credible strategic deterrent," he said Sept.29 in a speech at the National Defense University
Gates tied the question of credibility to well-publicized slip-ups in Air Force nuclear operations.In June he fired the Air Force's top general, Michael Moseley, as well as the top civilian, Michael Wynne, after an outside investigation concluded that the Air Force had not adequately heeded warning signs that its nuclear expertise, performance and stewardship were eroding over a period of years
In August 2007, a B-52 bomber flew from an Air Force base in North Dakota to a base in Louisiana with nuclear warheads that neither the bomber's pilots nor its crew knew were aboard.Then came the revelation that electrical fuses that trigger the detonation of strategic nuclear missiles had been shipped mistakenly to Taiwan — and the mistake was not discovered for months
Richard Wagner, a physicist who worked in the government's nuclear weapons laboratories for many years, told a conference in Washington this past week that the August 2007 incident was "the worst breach of security of nuclear weapons that the United States has ever had"
On the Net:
* U.S Strategic Command: http://www. stratcom. mil/
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USAF Creates Global Strike Command
Oct 24, 2008
By Bettina H
Chavanne
The U.S. Air Force will stand up a new major command called Global Strike Command devoted strictly to the nuclear enterprise, the service announced Oct.24 at the Pentagon
“We’ve taken many corrective actions in response to painful lessons learned,” Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told reporters, but “more work remains to be done
”
Air Force leaders released a so-called roadmap, titled “Reinvigorating the Air Force Nuclear Enterprise,” that details major actions the service will take, including:
* Establish the new command, led by a three-star, lieutenant general, and a Headquarters Air Force staff office, both devoted to nuclear enterprise matters;
* Consolidate sustainment functions under Air Force Materiel Command’s Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center;
* Improve nuclear stewardship in Air Force corporate processes; and
* Create strategic plans that address long-term nuclear requirements, including those for cruise missiles, bombers, dual-capable aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)
Nuclear-coded B-52 and B-2 bombers from the 8th Air Force and nuclear-tipped ICBMs under the 20th Air Force will fall under Global Strike Command instead.Yet the move splits the bomber force, with B-1s staying in Air Combat Command, according to the secretary
The so-called Schlesinger Report - from the Secretary of Defense Task Force on Nuclear Weapons Management chaired by James Schlesinger, who has been both an energy and defense secretary - had recommended all bombers fall under a new command.But, Donley said, “We thought we should preserve the gains made in the last 15 years in making the bomber force more effective for support of theater [operations]
”
Initial operating capability for the new command is expected in September 2009, officials said
The decision to stand up a new major, nuclear command was made early this month at a conference of the air services’ four-star generals (Aerospace DAILY, Oct. 9).The move follows the firing of the last Air Force secretary and chief of staff in June, as well as a series of disciplinary actions taken after nuclear management mishaps
A definitive, high-level report last month detailed 180 corrective actions, costing up to $1.5 billion
Photo: USAF
Find this article at:
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Air Force creates new command to fix nuke missteps
By LOLITA C
BALDOR – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior Air Force leaders are creating a new command to better manage the nation's nuclear arsenal after a series of embarrassing missteps in the handling and oversight of its most sensitive materials
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told reporters Friday that the service is shifting its nuclear-capable bombers, missiles and staff into a new Global Strike Command. So far officials have spent more than $200 million on the reorganization effort, and expect to spend another $270 million during the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.But Air Force leaders could not provide a total cost or staffing for the new command, which will be led by a three-star general
Donley said the latest shuffle would be a "new starting point" that would reinvigorate the service's nuclear mission.And he said it would help the Air Force focus on the management of the arsenal, no matter how small it may become under future international agreements
The idea for a new, separate command stemmed from a recent highly critical report that concluded there has been a decline in the Air Force's focus on and performance of its nuclear mission and its leaders' failure to respond effectively
Planned changes involve improved inspections, more emphasis on nuclear expertise, and a better coordinated system to track nuclear materials.Control of the B-2 and B-52 bombers now under Air Combat Command, and the intercontinental ballistic missiles now under Space Command will shift to the newly formed Global Strike Command
While largely bureaucratic in nature, the changes reflect a realization by the Air Force that in this post-Cold War era, attention to the nuclear mission had slipped and must now be corrected.But it took a series of embarrassing incidents that eventually prompted Defense Secretary Robert Gates to fire the previous Air Force secretary and chief of staff
The two major blunders involved the mistaken shipment to Taiwan of four electrical fuses for ballistic missile warheads, and the flight of an Air Force B-52 bomber that was mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and flown from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La.At the time, the pilot and crew were unaware they had nuclear arms aboard
A Pentagon advisory group, in a review of the problems, recommended last month that nuclear responsibilities be coordinated under the already existing Space Command, which is responsible for the service's land-based nuclear missiles but not other nuclear weapons
Asked why officials chose to create a new command rather than follow the group's recommendation, Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen.Norton Schwartz, said officials believed that lumping all the responsibility for space, cyber and nuclear issues would be too much for one command
On the Net:
* Defense Department: http://www. defenselink. mil
Eddie NWO Censored
The report said the US had allowed its nuclear stockpile to 'deteriorate'
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US told to increase nuclear arsenal as China threat looms
****************************************************************
Telegraph UK
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
09 Oct 2008
http://www. telegraph. co. uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/31662...
The US must increase its nuclear arsenal in response to China's growing military might, according to a State Department report
The International Security and Advisory Board (Isab), which reports to Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, warned that "holding the US homeland hostage to missile attack is important to Chinese military goals"
It claimed that China will have "in excess of 100 nuclear-armed missiles that could strike the United States" by 2015
By contrast, it said the US had allowed its nuclear stockpile and expertise to "deteriorate and atrophy across the board" for the last two decades
The ISAB is chaired by Paul Wolfowitz, the former World Bank president who was often referred to as the "major architect" of the war in Iraq while he was deputy defence secretary
Mr Wolfowitz was appointed by Miss Rice last year. Other hawkish members of the Isab are Robert Joseph, the former undersecretary for arms control and international security affairs, and James Schlesinger, the former defence secretary.Executives from arms companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing also sit on the board
The ISAB was asked to draft a report on how the US could bring its relationship with China "towards greater transparency and mutual confidence"
Hans M Kristensen, a director at the Federation of American Scientists, an anti-nuclear think tank in Washington, said that instead the report "appears to have drawn up a very effective plan for a Cold War with China"
He added: "The authors land on a set of recommendations and observations that strongly resemble a China-version of the Reagan administration's aggressive military posture against the Soviet Union." Mr Kristensen also called on Miss Rice to disown the Isab's conclusions
The ten-page report, which was leaked onto the internet, seems to justify a decision by the US to sell $6.5 billion (£3.6 billion) of arms to Taiwan, a move that has infuriated China and led it to cut several high-level military ties with the US.Mr Wolfowitz is also chairman of the US-Taiwan Business Council
The report suggests that a conflict between the US and China could be triggered by the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty and claims China will invade the island in the near future."If China is to become a global power, the first step must include control [of Taiwan]," it states
It adds that there has been a "substantial expansion" of China's nuclear arsenal in order to force America to "back away rather than fight". The report claims China has "new thermonuclear warheads as well as tactical arms, encompassing enhanced radiation weapons, nuclear artillery, and anti-ship weapons".Current US intelligence reports paint a less dramatic picture and there is no evidence of a tactical nuclear arsenal
It also claims that "Chinese espionage in the United States is comprehensive and pervasive" and that there is no point in trying to shape Chinese policy by "educating" the Chinese. Instead, the US must build a new missile shield and "undertake the development of new weapons [...] to convince China that it will not be able to overcome the US militarily"
China's military build-up has also unsettled Japan, after a series of large-scale spending increases. The defence budget rose by 17.8 per cent in 2007 and then by 27 per cent in 2008 to £35.4 billion
The Chinese ambassador to the US, Zhou Wenzhong, has urged America to stop selling weapons to Taiwan and to recognise China's authority over the island
"The US has made a very serious commitment to China as far as the question of Taiwan is concerned," he said, referring to a joint communique inked in August that states the US will reduce its arms sales to the island
"Obviously that is not happening.We hope the US will honour its commitment by not just words but action".
October 04, 2008 - The Chinese military is modernizing so fast that the U.S.should be building its own new weapon systems to counter it, this what's being said in a draft report by the US Secretary of State's International Security Advisory Board, We bring you this story based on an exclusive report from The Washington Times
Gates: Long-term outlook for nuke safety is bleak
http://ap. google. com/article/ALeqM5hCDeju8vdTC5o75wVmuG9SDrNtKgD9...
By ROBERT BURNS – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The long-term outlook for keeping U.S. nuclear weapons safe and reliable is "bleak," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.In part, he said, that was because the United States is experiencing a brain drain in the laboratories that design and develop the world's most powerful weapons
Gates said America's more than 5,000 nuclear weapons are now safe and secure, but he sketched out a series of concerns about the future, while stressing that nuclear weapons must remain a viable part of the U.S.strategy for deterring attack as long as other countries have them
"Hope as we will, the power of nuclear weapons and their strategic impact is a genie that cannot be put back in the bottle — at least for a very long time," he said in remarks at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think tank that advocates the elimination of nuclear arms
In a later question-and-answer session with his audience, Gates said he is concerned about the possibility that some Russian nuclear weapons from the old Soviet arsenal may not be fully accounted for
"I have fairly high confidence that no strategic or modern tactical nuclear weapons have leaked" beyond Russian borders, Gates said."What worries me are the tens of thousands of old nuclear mines, nuclear artillery shells and so on, because the reality is the Russians themselves probably don't have any idea how many of those they have or, potentially, where they are"
Gates also said that if were advising the next U.S.president, he would advocate new nuclear talks with Moscow
"I believe we should go for another agreement with the Russians," he said. "I believe it could involve further cuts in the number of deployed warheads. I believe we do need the verification provisions.But I think it ought to be an agreement that is shorter, simpler and easier to adjust to real-world conditions than most of the strategic arms agreements that we've seen over the last 40 years"
Both presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, advocate negotiating further reductions with Russia
Gates offered a number of reasons why the United States should maintain its nuclear arsenal, including the assertion that by providing an umbrella of protection for allies like Japan and South Korea, it removes a reason for those countries to feel the need to develop their own nuclear weapons
Echoing concerns by some congressional Republicans, Gates said there are reasons to worry about the U.S.arsenal
"Let me first say very clearly that our weapons are safe, secure and reliable," Gates said. "The problem is the long-term prognosis — which I would characterize as bleak." He noted that the United States has not designed a new nuclear weapon since the 1980s and has not built a new one since 1992
In his most extensive remarks on nuclear weapons since he became Pentagon chief nearly two years ago, Gates spelled out in detail his views on why nuclear weapons play a vital role in the broader U.S. defense strategy.And he called for urgent action to reverse a decline in focus on nuclear issues
"Currently the United States is the only declared nuclear power that is neither modernizing its nuclear arsenal nor has the capability to produce a new nuclear warhead," he said."To be blunt, there is absolutely no way we can maintain a credible deterrent and reduce the number of weapons in our stockpile without resorting to testing our stockpile or pursuing a modernization program"
The Gates remarks come amid a growing debate in national security circles over whether and how the United States should take the lead in pushing for the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons
Gates made clear he believes that such a goal, while reasonable, cannot be realized for many years
"We must take steps to transform from an aging Cold War nuclear weapons complex that is too large and expensive to a smaller, less costly but modern enterprise that can meet our nation's nuclear security needs for the future," Gates said
He urged Congress to drop its opposition to a long-stymied administration proposal to develop a design for a more secure nuclear warhead, saying it could be done without actual underground nuclear testing
"The program would reinvigorate and rebuild our infrastructure and expertise," Gates said
Asked about Iran by a member of his audience, Gates said he believed that the international community would not mind Iran having a nuclear program if it were devoted to civilian power generation and if Tehran had verifiably forsworn any ambition to develop nuclear weapons
Gates said he believes it is not too late to persuade Iran to give up on nuclear arms
"I think the pressures from the international community and ... economic pressures that caused them difficulty at home still have promise in terms of getting them to make a policy decision to go in another direction," he said."And it probably involves also some kind of assurances with respect to security"
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Gates Wants New Generation of US Nuclear Weapons
By Al Pessin
Washington
28 October 2008
http://www. voanews. com/english/2008-10-28-voa59. cfm
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is calling for the development of a new generation of American nuclear weapons to deter aggression by a variety of potential adversaries, including rogue states and terrorists.VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 28 Oct 2008
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 28 Oct 2008
Secretary Gates says the United States is the only declared nuclear power that does not have a nuclear weapons modernization program and the ability to build new nuclear warheads. He says U.S. allies France and Britain have such programs, as do two countries which he says are not U.S.adversaries, but whose nuclear modernization efforts can not be ignored
"China and Russia have embarked on ambitious paths to design and field new weapons.To be blunt, there is absolutely no way we can maintain a credible deterrent and reduce the number of weapons in our stockpile without either resorting to testing our stockpile or pursuing a modernization program," he said
Gates says China is expanding its nuclear arsenal, increasing the number of short-, medium- and long-range missiles it has, and the types of systems it has to deliver them. But he says there has been "a rudimentary start" to a U.S.strategic dialogue with China, which he hopes will build a foundation for future agreements to limit nuclear arms
Secretary Gates says Russia is increasing its reliance on nuclear weapons, with new intercontinental ballistic missiles, sea-based systems and atomic weapons manufacturing facilities, partly because they are less expensive than maintaining large conventional forces
He also expressed concern that some Russian nuclear weapons may have reached rogue states or terrorist organizations during the chaotic years following the fall of the Soviet Union
The secretary says the aging U.S. nuclear force is becoming less reliable every year, with no new systems and no testing, while the stockpile is also shrinking under existing treaty requirements. He says the old systems are reaching the limits of their potential for technological upgrades."We must take steps to transform from an aging Cold War nuclear weapons complex that is too large and too expensive, to a smaller, less costly but modern enterprise that can meet our nation's nuclear security needs for the future," he said
Secretary Gates called on the U.S. Congress to resume funding of a program to develop a new American nuclear warhead that he says would not expand capabilities, but could make it easier for the United States to reduce the overall number of weapons in its atomic arsenal. "The program we propose is not about new capabilities - suitcase bombs or bunker busters or tactical nukes. It is about safety, security and reliability.It is about the future credibility of our nuclear deterrent and it deserves urgent attention," he said
Gates says such a program would also revitalize U.S.nuclear science and related industries, which he says are in danger of being crippled by a lack of money and brainpower
The defense secretary spoke at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, an organization devoted to promoting global cooperation.Gates said he chose the venue to speak about nuclear weapons because he believes deterrence is as important today as it was during the Cold War - helping convince a variety of countries and groups not to attack the United States or its allies, and limiting their ability to put pressure on their neighbors
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
US considering implications of nuclear decline
By ROBERT BURNS – 2 days ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The mighty U.S. arsenal of nuclear weapons, midwived by World War II and nurtured by the Cold War, is declining in power and purpose while the military's competence in handling the world's most dangerous arms has eroded.At the same time, international efforts to contain the spread of such weapons look ineffective
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, for one, wants the next president to think about what nuclear middle-age and decline means for national security
Gates joins a growing debate about the reliability and future credibility of the American arsenal with his first extensive speech on nuclear arms Tuesday. The debate is attracting increasing attention inside the Pentagon even as the military is preoccupied with fighting insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan.The unconventional tools of war there include covert commandos, but not nuclear weapons
Gates is expected to call for increased commitment to preserving the deterrent value of atomic weapons. Their chief function has evolved from first stopping the Nazis and Japanese, then the Soviets. Now the vast U.S.stockpile serves mainly to make any other nation think twice about developing or using even a crude nuclear device of its own
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, wrote in the current issue of an internal publication, Joint Force Quarterly, that the United States is overdue to retool its nuclear strategy. He referred to nuclear deterrence — the idea that the credible threat of U.S.nuclear retaliation is enough by itself to stop a potential enemy from striking first with a weapon of mass destruction
"Many, if not most, of the individuals who worked deterrence in the 1970s and 1980s — the real experts at this discipline — are not doing it anymore," Mullen wrote."And we have not even tried to find their replacements"
Gen. Kevin Chilton, commander of U.S.Strategic Command, which is responsible for maintaining the nation's nuclear war plans, told Congress last spring that technical nuclear expertise also is lagging
"The last nuclear design engineer to participate in the development and testing of a new nuclear weapon is scheduled to retire in the next five years," Chilton said
Of the two senators competing to succeed President Bush, Democrat Barack Obama is most unequivocally against building new nuclear weapons. Both he and Republican John McCain say in their campaign materials that they support the long-standing U.S. commitment to eventually do away with nuclear arms.Neither says explicitly that the safety or credibility of the arsenal is in question; that's an argument made most frequently by congressional Republicans
Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., for example, said in a speech Sept. 15 that the network of laboratories and industrial plants that produce and maintain U.S.nuclear weapons is, in some cases, "simply falling down from age," and that this amounts to an alarming national "emergency"
Some private experts dispute Kyl's assessment
"It's completely overblown," said Hans M. Kristensen, who tracks nuclear weapons developments for the Federation of American Scientists.The advocacy group opposes the Bush administration's proposal to develop a new nuclear weapon design
The number of nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal is a state secret. But Kristensen and a fellow expert, Robert S. Norris, estimate that the total stood at nearly 5,400 warheads at the start of this year.That includes an estimated 4,075 ready for potential use and 1,260 in backup status
In an interview, Kristensen argued that even though the number is declining, the capability of remaining weapons is increasing as older missiles, for example, get new engines, guidance sets and computer software
Gates takes a different view.He has expressed concern about lack of official attention to the nuclear arsenal
"Even though the days of hair-trigger superpower confrontation are over, as long as other nations possess the bomb and the means to deliver it, the United States must maintain a credible strategic deterrent," he said Sept.29 in a speech at the National Defense University
Gates tied the question of credibility to well-publicized slip-ups in Air Force nuclear operations.In June he fired the Air Force's top general, Michael Moseley, as well as the top civilian, Michael Wynne, after an outside investigation concluded that the Air Force had not adequately heeded warning signs that its nuclear expertise, performance and stewardship were eroding over a period of years
In August 2007, a B-52 bomber flew from an Air Force base in North Dakota to a base in Louisiana with nuclear warheads that neither the bomber's pilots nor its crew knew were aboard.Then came the revelation that electrical fuses that trigger the detonation of strategic nuclear missiles had been shipped mistakenly to Taiwan — and the mistake was not discovered for months
Richard Wagner, a physicist who worked in the government's nuclear weapons laboratories for many years, told a conference in Washington this past week that the August 2007 incident was "the worst breach of security of nuclear weapons that the United States has ever had"
On the Net:
* U.S Strategic Command: http://www. stratcom. mil/
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USAF Creates Global Strike Command
Oct 24, 2008
By Bettina H
Chavanne
The U.S. Air Force will stand up a new major command called Global Strike Command devoted strictly to the nuclear enterprise, the service announced Oct.24 at the Pentagon
“We’ve taken many corrective actions in response to painful lessons learned,” Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told reporters, but “more work remains to be done
”
Air Force leaders released a so-called roadmap, titled “Reinvigorating the Air Force Nuclear Enterprise,” that details major actions the service will take, including:
* Establish the new command, led by a three-star, lieutenant general, and a Headquarters Air Force staff office, both devoted to nuclear enterprise matters;
* Consolidate sustainment functions under Air Force Materiel Command’s Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center;
* Improve nuclear stewardship in Air Force corporate processes; and
* Create strategic plans that address long-term nuclear requirements, including those for cruise missiles, bombers, dual-capable aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)
Nuclear-coded B-52 and B-2 bombers from the 8th Air Force and nuclear-tipped ICBMs under the 20th Air Force will fall under Global Strike Command instead.Yet the move splits the bomber force, with B-1s staying in Air Combat Command, according to the secretary
The so-called Schlesinger Report - from the Secretary of Defense Task Force on Nuclear Weapons Management chaired by James Schlesinger, who has been both an energy and defense secretary - had recommended all bombers fall under a new command.But, Donley said, “We thought we should preserve the gains made in the last 15 years in making the bomber force more effective for support of theater [operations]
”
Initial operating capability for the new command is expected in September 2009, officials said
The decision to stand up a new major, nuclear command was made early this month at a conference of the air services’ four-star generals (Aerospace DAILY, Oct. 9).The move follows the firing of the last Air Force secretary and chief of staff in June, as well as a series of disciplinary actions taken after nuclear management mishaps
A definitive, high-level report last month detailed 180 corrective actions, costing up to $1.5 billion
Photo: USAF
Find this article at:
http://www. aviationweek. com/aw/generic/story_channel. jsp?channel...
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Related News
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Full coverage »
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Air Force creates new command to fix nuke missteps
By LOLITA C
BALDOR – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior Air Force leaders are creating a new command to better manage the nation's nuclear arsenal after a series of embarrassing missteps in the handling and oversight of its most sensitive materials
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told reporters Friday that the service is shifting its nuclear-capable bombers, missiles and staff into a new Global Strike Command. So far officials have spent more than $200 million on the reorganization effort, and expect to spend another $270 million during the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.But Air Force leaders could not provide a total cost or staffing for the new command, which will be led by a three-star general
Donley said the latest shuffle would be a "new starting point" that would reinvigorate the service's nuclear mission.And he said it would help the Air Force focus on the management of the arsenal, no matter how small it may become under future international agreements
The idea for a new, separate command stemmed from a recent highly critical report that concluded there has been a decline in the Air Force's focus on and performance of its nuclear mission and its leaders' failure to respond effectively
Planned changes involve improved inspections, more emphasis on nuclear expertise, and a better coordinated system to track nuclear materials.Control of the B-2 and B-52 bombers now under Air Combat Command, and the intercontinental ballistic missiles now under Space Command will shift to the newly formed Global Strike Command
While largely bureaucratic in nature, the changes reflect a realization by the Air Force that in this post-Cold War era, attention to the nuclear mission had slipped and must now be corrected.But it took a series of embarrassing incidents that eventually prompted Defense Secretary Robert Gates to fire the previous Air Force secretary and chief of staff
The two major blunders involved the mistaken shipment to Taiwan of four electrical fuses for ballistic missile warheads, and the flight of an Air Force B-52 bomber that was mistakenly armed with six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and flown from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La.At the time, the pilot and crew were unaware they had nuclear arms aboard
A Pentagon advisory group, in a review of the problems, recommended last month that nuclear responsibilities be coordinated under the already existing Space Command, which is responsible for the service's land-based nuclear missiles but not other nuclear weapons
Asked why officials chose to create a new command rather than follow the group's recommendation, Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen.Norton Schwartz, said officials believed that lumping all the responsibility for space, cyber and nuclear issues would be too much for one command
On the Net:
* Defense Department: http://www. defenselink. mil
Eddie NWO Censored
The report said the US had allowed its nuclear stockpile to 'deteriorate'
****************************************************************
US told to increase nuclear arsenal as China threat looms
****************************************************************
Telegraph UK
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
09 Oct 2008
http://www. telegraph. co. uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/31662...
The US must increase its nuclear arsenal in response to China's growing military might, according to a State Department report
The International Security and Advisory Board (Isab), which reports to Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, warned that "holding the US homeland hostage to missile attack is important to Chinese military goals"
It claimed that China will have "in excess of 100 nuclear-armed missiles that could strike the United States" by 2015
By contrast, it said the US had allowed its nuclear stockpile and expertise to "deteriorate and atrophy across the board" for the last two decades
The ISAB is chaired by Paul Wolfowitz, the former World Bank president who was often referred to as the "major architect" of the war in Iraq while he was deputy defence secretary
Mr Wolfowitz was appointed by Miss Rice last year. Other hawkish members of the Isab are Robert Joseph, the former undersecretary for arms control and international security affairs, and James Schlesinger, the former defence secretary.Executives from arms companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing also sit on the board
The ISAB was asked to draft a report on how the US could bring its relationship with China "towards greater transparency and mutual confidence"
Hans M Kristensen, a director at the Federation of American Scientists, an anti-nuclear think tank in Washington, said that instead the report "appears to have drawn up a very effective plan for a Cold War with China"
He added: "The authors land on a set of recommendations and observations that strongly resemble a China-version of the Reagan administration's aggressive military posture against the Soviet Union." Mr Kristensen also called on Miss Rice to disown the Isab's conclusions
The ten-page report, which was leaked onto the internet, seems to justify a decision by the US to sell $6.5 billion (£3.6 billion) of arms to Taiwan, a move that has infuriated China and led it to cut several high-level military ties with the US.Mr Wolfowitz is also chairman of the US-Taiwan Business Council
The report suggests that a conflict between the US and China could be triggered by the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty and claims China will invade the island in the near future."If China is to become a global power, the first step must include control [of Taiwan]," it states
It adds that there has been a "substantial expansion" of China's nuclear arsenal in order to force America to "back away rather than fight". The report claims China has "new thermonuclear warheads as well as tactical arms, encompassing enhanced radiation weapons, nuclear artillery, and anti-ship weapons".Current US intelligence reports paint a less dramatic picture and there is no evidence of a tactical nuclear arsenal
It also claims that "Chinese espionage in the United States is comprehensive and pervasive" and that there is no point in trying to shape Chinese policy by "educating" the Chinese. Instead, the US must build a new missile shield and "undertake the development of new weapons [...] to convince China that it will not be able to overcome the US militarily"
China's military build-up has also unsettled Japan, after a series of large-scale spending increases. The defence budget rose by 17.8 per cent in 2007 and then by 27 per cent in 2008 to £35.4 billion
The Chinese ambassador to the US, Zhou Wenzhong, has urged America to stop selling weapons to Taiwan and to recognise China's authority over the island
"The US has made a very serious commitment to China as far as the question of Taiwan is concerned," he said, referring to a joint communique inked in August that states the US will reduce its arms sales to the island
"Obviously that is not happening.We hope the US will honour its commitment by not just words but action".
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