17 U.S. Air Force ICBM Launch Officers Stripped Of Their Authority To Launch Nuclear Missiles

In the past quarter century, Russia and the U.S. each have come close twice to launching nuclear missiles like this Russian ICBM to counter a perceived attack. Photo credit: © WGBH Educational Foundation

17 Air Force Officers Stripped Of Authority To Launch Nuclear Missiles -- CNN

Washington (CNN) -- In an unprecedented action, an Air Force commander has stripped 17 of his officers of their authority to control and launch nuclear missiles.

The 17 are being sent to undergo 60 to 90 days of intensive refresher training on how to do their jobs. The action comes after their unit performed poorly on an inspection and one officer was investigated for potential compromise of nuclear launch codes, according to Lt. Col. John Dorrian, an Air Force spokesman.

The story was first reported by The Associated Press.

The action was taken by the deputy commander of the 91st Operations Group, Lt. Col. Jay Folds, whose officers run launch control centers for the Minuteman III nuclear missiles from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.

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More News On 17 U.S. Air Force Officers Stripped Of Authority To Launch Nuclear Missiles

Air Force sidelines 17 ICBM launch officers; commander cites ‘rot’ within system -- Washington Post/AP
Air Force strips 17 officers of power to launch nuclear missiles -- Washington Times
Air Force benches 17 missile officers, nuclear expert cites malaise in the branch -- Best Defense/Foreign Policy
An Air Force Unit Controlling Our Nuclear Weapons Is Filled with 'Rot' -- The Atlantic
US Air Force stripped 17 officers controlling intercontinental nuclear missiles -- Voice of Russia
No Biggie, But Our Nuclear Missile Launch Teams Are Incompetent -- Gawker

Future Reductions In The U.S. Nuclear Stockpile

Photo: General Norton A. Schwartz

US General Asks Cut In Nuclear Stockpile -- Boston.com

Says arsenal is too large, costly.

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon calls the stockpile an “active reserve.” Others call it a hidden nuclear arsenal. International arms control treaties do not apply to it and officials rarely discuss it publicly. But now, the nation’s backup supply of nuclear weapons may be next up for major cuts.

For the first time a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is suggesting the United States’ nuclear weapons reserve is too large and becoming too expensive to maintain.

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My Comment: General Norton A. Schwartz is retiring soon .... so he is either just sounding off on his own opinion, or laying the ground work for future negotiations and agreements. My prediction .... this nuclear reserve will be discussed at some future date with Russia on nuclear reductions.

Costs For Modernizing US Nuclear Weapons Continues To Rise

The cost of modernizing US nuclear weapons, including those stationed in Germany, has risen sharply, according to estimates. Several independent experts told SPIEGEL ONLINE that the bill for renewing the B61 atomic bomb (shown here) will rise to $6 billion. The project will also upset Russia, they say.

US Nuclear Weapons Upgrades: Experts Report Massive Cost Increase -- Spiegel Online

The cost of modernizing US nuclear weapons, including those stationed in Germany, has risen sharply, according to estimates. Several independent experts told SPIEGEL ONLINE that the bill for renewing the B61 atomic bomb will rise to $6 billion. The project will also upset Russia, they say.

The B61 is the last remnant of the Cold War in Germany. An estimated 10 to 20 of the atomic bombs are thought to remain in storage at a German Air Force base in Büchel, a village in the Eifel mountains of western Germany. Should war break out, the Tornado aircraft belonging to the German Air Force could immediately be armed with the weapons for sorties under US control.

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My Comment: Further proof that it is not cheap to maintain a nuclear weapons stockpile.

America's Last Cold War Nuclear Megabombs To Be Dismantled

Pantex officials say this "ensures that the Cold War system will never again be part of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile." Courtesy of Pantex

Last Nuclear ‘Monster Weapon’ Gets Dismantled -- The Danger Room

In the 1960s, the skies above the United States were patrolled by agents of the apocalypse. Air Force B-52 Stratofortresses circled the North American continent, 24 hours a day, cradling two megabombs in their bellies. Those B-53 bombs each weighed 10,000 pounds. Were one to drop on the White House, a nine-megaton yield would destroy all life out into suburban Maryland and Virginia.

It was the ultimate Cold War weapon, the one that Major Kong would have ridden into Armageddon at the end of Dr. Strangelove. And on Tuesday, it will no longer exist.

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More News On The Dismantling of America's Last Cold War Megabombs

U.S. Dismantles Last 10,000 Pound Cold-war Era Nuclear Bomb -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Last B53 nuclear bomb to be dismantled today -- Star Telegram
Pantex dismantles last of the 'big dogs' -- Amarillo
Last Cold War-era B53 Nuclear Weapon Dismantlement Commemoration Set For Oct. 25 -- Ottawa Citizen

Scavenging Parts For America's Nuclear Weapons

Image from Wikipedia

Prospects Grow for Cuts to U.S. Nuclear "Hedge Force" -- Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government could reduce its stockpile of backup nuclear weapons in coming years as the capability improves to swap out aging components in active warheads for fresh parts, according to a senior military official (see GSN, March 1, 2010).



The nation's nuclear complex is adopting this new approach -- called "component sparing" -- as an eventual alternative to maintaining today's "hedge force," said the official, who requested anonymity in discussing sensitive nuclear-weapon issues.



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My Comment: I guess this is one way to save money .... still .... you would expect our nuclear forces would have the best and newest components. Hmmm .... I guess this is not the case at all.

Why Nuclear Armed Submarines Are Still Vital To U.S. National Defense

SSBN-726 Ohio-Class FBM Submarines. FAS.org

The Submarine That Might Save America -- Forbes

Imagine that the survival of America depended on a handful of fighting machines operated by an elite group of military personnel. If they succeed, the nation is secure. If they fail, it will be utterly destroyed. Sounds like another improbable action-movie plot from Hollywood, doesn’t it? It isn’t. It may very well be the future of U.S. nuclear strategy.

As I wrote last week, the specter of nuclear war will remain the single greatest military threat to America for the foreseeable future. The Obama Administration therefore has embarked on a costly effort to refurbish and replace a nuclear-weapons arsenal that has seen little modernization since the Cold War ended 20 years ago. The president remains committed to reducing and eventually eliminating nuclear weapons, but until there is some assured means of verifying other countries have done the same, the nation is stuck maintaining a potent arsenal to deter attacks.

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My Comment: For all ye mariners out there, a must article to read.

3 Unique Tours Through U.S. Nuclear History

A modified Minuteman booster vehicle, successfully launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base. U.S. Air Force photo/2nd Lt. Raymond Geoffroy

From Popular Science:

With more nations seeking nuclear weapons and nuclear power at home poised for resurgence, America's bases and labs are bustling with activity. In the post-9/11 world, many, but not all, facilities have restricted access. Justin Nobel visited several sites to see where we stand on nuclear deterrence, detection and the latest reactor technologies. He also uncovered several below-the-radar nuclear tours open to the general public.

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The U.S. Maintains 150 To 200 Tactical Nuclear Warheads In Europe

The U.S. stores an estimated 200 B-61 thermonuclear gravity bombs in five European countries. SSGT Phil Schmitten / DoD

Tactical Nukes in Europe a "Tiny Fraction" of Cold War Arsenal, Report Says -- Global Security Newswire

The United States maintains between 150 and 200 B-61 gravity bombs at bases in Europe, a "tiny fraction" of its top deployment of 7,300 tactical nuclear weapons on the continent in 1971, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reported in its newest edition (see GSN, Dec. 2, 2010).

"The current level represents a tiny fraction of the 1971 peak of 7,300 U.S. tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Europe. Since then (with the exception of a period in the mid-1980s), the Europe-based arsenal has been shrinking. The most dramatic reductions occurred in 1986-87, when the United States withdrew nearly 2,000 weapons from European soil," wrote analysts Robert Norris and Hans Kristensen.

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My Comment: This is a good summary on U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.

Nuclear Weapons Drivers Drunk On The Job

Report: Nuclear Weapon Drivers Drank On The Job -- Washington Post

Federal agents responsible for driving nuclear weapons and other sensitive materials sometimes got drunk and were detained by police while on the job, according to a new watchdog report.

A report released Monday by the Energy Department's Office of Inspector General found 16 alcohol-related incidents between 2007 and 2009 involving personnel with the National Nuclear Security Administration's Office of Surface Transportation (OST). About 600 OST agents are responsible for safely transporting or shipping nuclear weapons and other materials across the country.

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More News On Nuclear Drivers Drinking On The Job

US nuclear transport agents seen 'in drunken incidents' -- BBC
Agents hired to drive nuclear weapons around U.S. got drunk while on missions: report -- New York Daily News
Drivers of nuclear weapons got drunk on duty: US probe -- AFP
Probe Finds 'Alcohol Incidents' Among DOE Agents on Nuke-Transport Duty -- New York Times
Government agents driving nuclear weapons around the U.S. 'got drunk on the job' -- The Daily Mail

My Comment: If there ever was a case to make in which there must be zero tolerance when driving .... this is definitely it.

America To Modernize Its Nuclear Arsenal

Obama Expands Modernization of Nuclear Arsenal -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Obama promised Thursday to spend $80 billion over 10 years to maintain and modernize the nation’s nuclear arsenal, a commitment that could help win Republican support for his new arms control treaty with Russia.

The plan expands a previous proposal by Mr. Obama to upgrade nuclear infrastructure and was sent to the Senate along with the treaty and accompanying protocol and annexes. Mr. Obama called President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia as he kicked off his campaign to win Senate consent for the treaty.

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More News On The Modernization Of America's Nuclear Arsenal

Obama wants $80 bln to upgrade nuclear arms complex -- Reuters
Nuclear complex upgrades related to START treaty to cost $180 billion -- Washington Post
Obama wants $80B to modernize nuke weapons complex -- China Daily
House Panel Approves $15 Billion for DOE Nuclear Operations -- Global Security Newswire

U.S. To Disclose The Size Of Its Nuclear Weapons Stockpile On Monday

U.S. Is Expected To Reveal Size Of Nuclear Stockpile -- Washington Post

The Obama administration is likely to reveal a closely guarded secret -- the size of the U.S. nuclear stockpile -- during a critical meeting starting Monday at which Washington will try to strengthen the global treaty that curbs the spread of nuclear weapons, several officials said.

Various factions in the administration have debated for months whether to declassify the numbers, and they were left out of President Obama's recent Nuclear Posture Review because of objections from intelligence officials. Now, the administration is seeking a dramatic announcement that will further enhance its nuclear credentials as it tries to shore up the fraying nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

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My Comment: What was once one of America's closely guarded secrets .... will soon be public knowledge. Against the wishes of everyone in the intelligence community .... and in the military .... a purely political decision (not a national security one) has been made by the White House to disclose this number.

Hmmmm .... the times are a changing.

What's The Point Of Nuclear Weapons On Instant Alert?

Nuclear missiles "on alert" could too easily be launched by mistake

From New Scientist:

IN THE next few weeks, President Barack Obama will publish his delayed Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), setting out the role nuclear weapons play in US defence. This is Obama's opportunity to end one of the most dangerous legacies of the cold war: the nuclear missiles the US and Russia keep ready to fly in minutes. The signs are that he is unlikely to take it.

This leaves the questions why does the US keep its nuclear weapons "on alert", and are they really needed?

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My Comment: I will be shocked if President Obama takes this nuclear option off the table. I am sure that he must have been briefed on a number of scenarios in which having his nuclear forces on the ready is preferable than not .... and if he had to choose the lesser of the two evils, he will choose having US nuclear missiles to be at the ready rather than not having them prepped.

Besides .... the whole point of having the Defcom structure is to determine what level of preparedness should US nuclear and military forces be placed at. Why change something that has kept the peace for over 60 years?

A New U.S. Nuclear Policy Is Being Drawn Up

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert gates inspects a GBI in its Alaskan silo.
Photo from The Register

White House Is Rethinking Nuclear Policy -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — As President Obama begins making final decisions on a broad new nuclear strategy for the United States, senior aides say he will permanently reduce America’s arsenal by thousands of weapons. But the administration has rejected proposals that the United States declare it would never be the first to use nuclear weapons, aides said.

Mr. Obama’s new strategy — which would annul or reverse several initiatives by the Bush administration — will be contained in a nearly completed document called the Nuclear Posture Review, which all presidents undertake. Aides said Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates will present Mr. Obama with several options on Monday to address unresolved issues in that document, which have been hotly debated within the administration.

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More News On White House Policy Towards Nuclear Weapons

Obama considers new US nuclear strategy: report -- AFP
US plans 'dramatic' cuts in nuclear arsenal -- AFP
US plans 'dramatic reductions' in nuclear weapons -- BBC
Obama Plans to Eliminate ‘Thousands’ of U.S. Nuclear Warheads -- Newsmax
Obama to cut US nuclear arsenal: Report -- One India
Obama might remove US nukes from Germany -- The Local

U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy And Strategy -- News Updates February 18, 2010

'US Will Maintain Minimum Nuclear Deterrence' -- Press Trust India

Washington, Feb 18 (PTI) The US would maintain a minimum nuclear deterrent while working towards the goal of achieving a nuke-free world, a top Obama Administration official on nuclear disarmament has said.

"This Administration will work toward a world without nuclear weapons and we will continue to maintain a safe, secure, and effective deterrent as we proceed toward that goal," Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, said.

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More News On U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy And Strategy

U.S. to pump money into nuke stockpile, increase security -- RIA Novosti
Administration Slated to Finalize Major Nuclear Weapons Policy Review -- Union Of Concerned Sceintists
Experts Voice Concern Over U.S. Nuclear Policy Review -- Global Security Newswire

US, Russia near 'finish line' on nuclear disarm deal -- AFP
Missile defense not a threat to U.S.-Russia "reset" -- Reuters
Russia-US START talks enter home stretch -- Tauscher -- ITAR-TASS
The Second Annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit -- US Department of State
Tauscher to talk arms trade -- Politico

Biden nuke speech preview -- Foreign Policy
Biden To Press For Ratifying Test Ban Treaty -- The Atlantic
Biden to Push Test-Ban Treaty -- Wall Street Journal
Biden to Call for Senate Ratification of CTBT -- Global Security Newswire

Stage set for new fight over START treaty -- The Cable/Foreign Policy
START is Key to Reducing the Nuclear Threat -- Carnegie Endowment For Peace
START is key to reducing the nuclear threat -- Matthew Rojansky and James. F. Collins, The Hill

Nuclear Weapon Spending Has Increased More Under Obama Than Bush

'Nobel Peace Prize-Winner Barack Obama Ups Spending On Nuclear Weapons To Even More Than George Bush' -- The Daily Mail

Barack Obama has allocated £4.3billion to spend on maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile - £370million more than what was budgeted by George Bush.

The budget will also be increased by more than £3.1billion over the next five years.

The announcement comes despite the American President declaring nuclear weapons were the ‘greatest danger’ to U.S. people during in his State of the Union address on Wednesday.

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More News On America's Nuclear Weapons Program

Biden: U.S. budget to seek nuclear funds increase -- Reuters
Biden outlines U.S. nuclear weaponry plan -- UPI
U.S. to increase spending on nuclear complex - Biden -- RIA Novosti
Obama to Seek $5B Nuclear-Weapon Complex Spending Boost -- Global Security Newswire
Obama to boost spending on maintaining nuclear stocks -- AFP
Debate heats up on Obama's nuclear agenda -- Politico

Remembering The First Hydrogen Bomb Test

From Wired Science:

The long-distance scientific recordings of the blast wave from the first hydrogen bomb test have been rediscovered in a formerly classified safe at Columbia University.

On November 1, 1952, physicists created the second fusion explosion the solar system has ever known. The first occurred around 4.5 billion years ago and ignited the ongoing fusion reaction in the sun. The second, the Ivy Mike experiment, was shorter lived and detonated on an atoll in the South Pacific. This 10-megaton blast was five times more powerful than all the explosives used in World War II combined, including the nuclear-fission bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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My Comment: Just a little bit of history.

What Future Direction For America's Nuclear Forces?

Obama's Nuclear Posture Review - More News -- Armchair Generalist

Bryan Bender reveals some possible indications of how the 2009 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) is shaping up. It's interesting stuff, and slightly encouraging.

The review is shaping up to be a major showdown for Obama this year. It is taking on some of the most sacred cows of the nuclear program. For the first time, influential voices, including a former top nuclear commander and senior Obama advisers, are proposing that one leg of the nuclear arms “triad’’ - a $30 billion-a-year enterprise made up of land-, air-, and sea-based weapons - be eliminated.

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My Comment: For the past few months I have been blogging on the direction that America's nuclear forces may be going. In this case .... American Generalist has put together a good summary and review.

Will President Obama's Vision Of A Nuclear Free World Become Reality?

Obama's Nuclear-Free Vision Mired In Debate -- L.A. Times

Pentagon officials have pushed back against the president's goals to shrink the U.S. stockpile and reduce the role of such weapons in foreign policy, sources say.

Reporting from Washington - President Obama's ambitious plan to begin phasing out nuclear weapons has run up against powerful resistance from officials in the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies, posing a threat to one of his most important foreign policy initiatives.

Obama laid out his vision of a nuclear-free world in a speech in Prague, Czech Republic, last April, pledging that the U.S. would take dramatic steps to lead the way. Nine months later, the administration is locked in internal debate over a top-secret policy blueprint for shrinking the U.S. nuclear arsenal and reducing the role of such weapons in America's military strategy and foreign policy.

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My Comment: President Obama is not alone in feeling like this. President Reagan was another U.S. leader who wanted to abolish nuclear weapons from the face of the map .... but geopolitical conditions made such an ambition next to impossible.

I expect this debate to continue for a while, but I am also well aware that there are too many interested groups who have not embraced President Obama's nuclear vision of the world .... and it is these groups/Generals/politicians/lobbyists/etc. who will have the most sway in determining what the future of U.S. nuclear policy will be.

Expect a compromise to be met in the new year, with a force reduction being proposed alongside a need to modernize America's existing nuclear deterrent.

Refurbished Trident Warheads Delivered To U.S. Navy

Photo from Knox News

From Global Security Newswire:

The U.S. Navy in August received the first W-76 warheads refurbished for continued use on submarine-launched Trident ballistic missiles, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported yesterday (see GSN, June 25).

"I can now confirm that the first refurbished W-76s were delivered to the Navy in August," said National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Damien LaVera. The number of warheads delivered to the military was not made public.

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My Comment: Not new .... but refurbished. Welcome to the new world of defense budget realities.

On Nukes, Obama Plans Hands-On Approach

LGM-118A Peacekeeper missile system being tested at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. This is a long exposure photo showing the paths of the multiple re-entry vehicles deployed by the missile. One Peacekeeper can hold up to 10 nuclear warheads, each independently targeted. Were the warheads armed with a nuclear payload, each would carry with it the explosive power of twenty-five Hiroshima-sized weapons. Photo from Wikipedia.

From The Atlantic:

President Obama plans to take a more active role in preparing America's nuclear weapons strategy, helping to ensure that the final document, due out next year, reflects his priorities, rather than just the institutional views of his government, administration officials said.

Mr. Obama was said to be unhappy when the Defense Department presented to him its decision to remove a long-range missile battery from Poland and a sophisticated radar system from the Czech Republic. Obama had little time to study the issue before the vagaries of the Pentagon's budget procedures forced his hand. Responding to concerns that the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) was being completed without enough input from his staff and from the State Department, Obama has decided to provide guidance directly, and plans to participate in several high-level meetings.

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My comment: Bottom line .... the Pentagon's hopes for renewed funding of a "Reliable Replacement Warhead" program are probably dead. In short, we will have to do with the nuclear weapons that we have.

But the paragraph in this article that caught my eye was the following:

Managing the aging stockpile doesn't necessarily imply a new warhead. Indeed, the administration will probably reject any attempts to fund warhead improvements and instead work on making sure that the delivery mechanisms, like missiles, are in top order. For example, vacuum tubes, constructed in the 1960s, might have to be replaced.

Vacuum tubes?!?!?! 1960s?!?!?!

What are these people thinking?