Current Nuclear Weapons Development

http://freebeacon.com/pentagon-u-s-not-capable-of-detecting-foreign-nuke-threats/
 
http://ex-skf.blogspot.ie/2014/01/the-obama-administration-demands-japan.html
 
http://freebeacon.com/lawmaker-iran-deal-being-kept-in-super-secret-location/

Some hyperbole, but not looking good, none the less.
 
http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-now-has-nuclear-breakout-capability-us-intel-reports/


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_UNITED_STATES_NKOREA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-01-29-16-06-22
 
Can't say that this came as any surprise. Via MilitaryPhotos.net:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/world/europe/us-says-russia-tested-missile-despite-treaty.html?hpw&rref=world&_r=1
 
92 Missileers Implicated in Cheating Scandal

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said 92 missile launch officers assigned to Malmstrom AFB, Mont., have been implicated in an investigation of cheating on a monthly nuclear proficiency exam. All 92 missileers have temporarily been decertified pending the outcome of the investigation—that’s almost half of the Malmstrom-based missileer force and nearly three times that of the 34 initially implicated. Of those 92, roughly 40 are suspected of actually cheating. The rest likely knew of the cheating and did not report it, said Air Force Global Strike Command boss Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, who briefed the Pentagon press corps alongside James Thursday. Air Force nuclear launch officers must receive a score of 90 percent or higher to pass nuclear exams, but Air Force leaders said most missileers feel they must score 100 percent each time. “I believe that a very terrible irony in this whole situation is that these missileers didn’t cheat to pass, they cheated because they felt driven to get 100 percent, getting 90 percent or 95 percent was considered a failure in their eyes,” said James. Some 500 nuclear launch officers at all three Air Force ICBM bases retook the test after the cheating allegations surfaced; 22 failed. Wilson said those officers will be retrained and given the chance to retake the test. The average score was 95.5 percent, officials said.

Racking Up the Overtime

The nuclear control officers assigned to the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., who have not been implicated in the cheating scandal, are going to have to work overtime, at least for the time being, senior Air Force leaders said Thursday. Missileers typically work eight alert shifts each month, often braving brutal weather conditions for extended periods of time (On Thursday, for example, it was -31 degrees at Minot AFB, N.D., and -15 degrees at Malmstrom). However, Air Force Global Strike Command boss Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson said each crew member now will have to stand alert 10 times per month. In addition, the Air Force has pulled some staff members from the 20th Air Force and put them back in operational billets at Malmstrom to help fill the gap after 92 missileers were decertified for allegedly cheating on a nuclear proficiency exam. Both Wilson and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the USAF may have to pull some missileers from Minot and F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., to further augment the force at Malmstrom. In addition, Wilson said the Air Force is considering diverting brand new missileers to Malmstrom, rather than spreading them out to the three ICBM bases after graduation. “We have contingency plans in place in case something goes wrong…and we are implementing those as we speak,” said Wilson, who emphasized that there have been no negative impacts on operations.

Taking Action

Air Force Global Strike Command boss Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson has asked Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes, the vice commander of Air Education and Training Command, to lead an investigation into training and testing procedures at AFGSC as well as the leadership environment, he told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday. “He and his team are en route, as we speak, to F.E. Warren Air Force Base, (Wyo.), where they’ll meet with 20th Air Force. Then they’ll go to all the missile bases as well as Vandenberg Air Force Base,” said Wilson. The goal, he added, is to identify the “root causes” that led to 92 nuclear launch officers at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., to either cheat on a monthly proficiency exam or fail to report the cheating. Holmes is to report back to Wilson in the next month. Wilson said he plans to take “deliberate and swift action” on whatever information Holmes brings forth. In addition, Wilson has implemented a “force improvement plan” that calls for “small working groups of junior officers and junior airmen from operations, maintenance, security forces, and mission support” to “identify challenges” and propose solutions. The working groups will report directly to Wilson, who said he expects initial reports back by February. “Our nation demands and deserves the highest standards and accountability from the force entrusted with the most powerful weapons in the world,” he added
 
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/world/europe/us-says-russia-tested-missile-despite-treaty.html?ref=michaelrgordon&_r=0&referrer=

I'm shocked.....................NOT!! :eek:
 
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140204/DEFREG02/302040021/US-Senators-Question-State-Iranian-Nuclear-Centrifuge-Development

The panel’s Democratic chairman, Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, continued walking a political tightrope of trying to support the Obama administration while striking a tough line on Iran.

Menendez cited comments made recently by Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran nuclear agency chief: “ ‘The iceberg of sanctions are melting, while our centrifuges are also still working. This is our greatest achievement.’ ”
Click to expand...
 
http://freebeacon.com/iranian-ballistic-missile-program-can-continue-under-deal/
 
Navy Would Look To Cut VA-Class Sub Build Rate To Pay For SSBN(X)

Posted: Jan. 31, 2014

If the tight budget environment created by recent sequestration cuts continues, the Navy may reduce its build rate of Virginia-class attack submarines in order to pay for the multibillion-dollar Ohio-class replacement ballistic missile submarines, a Navy spokeswoman told Inside the Navy. The Budget Control Act of 2011 imposed across-the-board sequestration cuts on the Defense Department's budget. Ohio-class replacement submarines are not slated for construction until fiscal year 2021, but without wiggle room in how the cuts are made the Navy will have to decide between the two ship classes. The Navy anticipates continuing Virginia-class production during the Ohio-class replacement's build cycle in FY-21, FY-24 and FY-26 through FY-35. However, if future fiscal constraints preclude awarding the production contracts for these two shipbuilding programs, the service may decide to reduce the rate of Virginia-class submarine construction during the years Ohio-class replacement subs are built, Naval Sea Systems Command spokeswoman Brie Lang wrote in an email.

Not only would this negatively impact the attack submarine force by having fewer boats it will also add cost to both programs. This decision would cause a disruption to the shipbuilding workforce, she added. During a February 2013 House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee hearing, former Navy Secretary John Lehman said the service would lose a significant proportion of the benefits it gained by building two Virginia-class submarines a year. "And it would be a shame because you lose key welders, particularly with the kinds of steel that are involved in submarine construction, welders and shipfitters and pipefitters. You can't just get them on the street. You can't go get a headhunter and hire 20 when the budget comes back on," Lehman said. The Navy must have a multiyear contracting arrangement involving both the Virginia-class submarine and Ohio-class replacement submarine programs in order to achieve cost savings across both ship classes, particularly if the service expects to hit a $4.9-billion per boat target for the Ohio replacement effort.

The programs expect to leverage cost savings by buying common components. Examples include common hydraulic valves, air valves and pumps, Rear Adm. David Johnson, program executive officer for submarines told Inside the Navy in a May 2013 interview. In order for the Navy to achieve its $4.9-billion cost target (calculated in fiscal year 2010 dollars) for the Ohio-class replacement submarine program, the joint multiyear deal for both ship classes must take place, Johnson stated. "That will take some work with Congress," Johnson said. "We have briefed this concept before [congressional] staffers for about three years now." Buying subs smartly in a multiyear contract is the same approach the Navy took for the Virginia-class sub program with its "two for four in '12" slogan, which was an effort the service sought to shave $400 million off the price tag in order to buy two subs for $4 billion in FY-05 dollars by 2012. The service will not have the procurement volume nor gain the benefit of economic order quantity material if both submarine classes do not have multiyear contracts, Johnson stated.

"It seems good value for the government to come into a multiyear to go forward and reduce the costs not just for Ohio replacements but for Virginias at the same time," he said. A multiyear contract can save the Navy anywhere from about 8 to 15 percent collectively across the two ship classes, Johnson said. "Sometime in 2018, we need to have thought through this and add to the Virginia-class contract that will allow you to gain some of the economic benefits from the Ohio that will happen in FY-21," he stated. "Those details still need to be worked out." Both the Ohio-class replacement and Virginia-class programs are working to lower programs costs. The next-generation ballistic missile submarine program is incorporating guidelines from Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall's Better Buying Power approach to defense acquisition. These guidelines cover affordability targets and implementing contract incentives, NAVSEA spokeswoman Lang wrote.

For example, a research and development contract signed in December 2012 contains incentives for reaching specific engineering, construction and operation and support costs. This is the first time a shipbuilding R&D contract has tied incentive fees to cost reduction across a submarine's lifecycle, Lang noted. In the past, Navy officials proposed to the Office of the Secretary of Defense that the Ohio-class replacement program should have supplemental funding outside the shipbuilding budget because the program is part of the nuclear triad. However, Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley told the Senate Armed Services Committee last May that talks about using supplemental funding for the program "have not progressed." In his most recent annual report to Congress, the Pentagon's top weapons tester J. Michael Gilmore wrote the Ohio-class replacement program conducted an early operational assessment from September 2012 to July 2013. Gilmore's office is analyzing data obtained during that assessment. "The modeling and simulation study conducted as part of the EOA had limitations, making the results informative but inconclusive," Gilmore wrote. "The Ohio-replacement and Virginia-class programs are collaborating to update the model for future analysis." -- Lee Hudson
 
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/report-iran-needs-more-nuclear-power-plants
 
Triad Sustainment Getting Closer Look

Investments in the Air Force’s part of the nuclear triad are going to get closer scrutiny as the service grapples with ways to prioritize post-sequestration budgets, USAF’s top uniform official in charge of nuclear deterrence operations told the Daily Report. “We will have to make some tough choices (in the coming years),” said Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak, assistant chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration. “The (Department of Defense) and our Air Force (are) going to have to come to grips with the fact that we are living in 2014 and not 1974.” Operations, sustainment, and training for NDO will change, he noted. “I’m not saying we’re going to be able to recapitalize everything we want… we are going to have to be very careful,” he said. Harencak noted USAF’s analysis of alternatives for the Minuteman III follow-on system, started in 2013 and slated for completion by the end of this fiscal year, will have a large impact on the service’s nuclear operations. The Air Force will have to be “darn sure” any sustainment of its ICBM force—from propulsion to guidance systems—will be transferrable to the Minuteman III’s successor. The current fleet is slated for operations through 2030, meaning USAF will have to ensure it remains safe, secure, and effective for years to come, he added
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We cant modernize 450 missile in a $17 trillion economy
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Nuclear Readiness, the Sequester, and the Future

The Air Force’s nuclear capable bombers and ICBM forces have remained relatively unscathed despite a series of continuing resolutions, a government shutdown, and the sequester. However, investment bills will be coming due as the Air Force looks to modernize the bomber and its land-based deterrent force, both of which are closely tied to the nuclear mission’s combat readiness. “Our commanders have done well mitigating near-term effects,” Maj. Gen. Garrett Harencak told the Daily Report. Cumulative underfunding and underinvestment will impact nuclear deterrent operations because of the close relationship between readiness, operations, and recapitalization in the nuclear mission, he added. Air Force Global Strike Command is not just managing flying hour cuts and funds for missile tests, but also reductions across the operations and maintenance account—from deferment of non-emergency sustainment of facilities to weapons storage upgrades and civilian furloughs. Cuts to sorties compound because they affect combatant commander requirements, in addition to USAF’s own requirements for safety, security, and surety. “All this affects our continuity,” Harencak said, which is why a budget “glide path” is so important. “There is nothing we do that doesn’t have a mid-term or long-term effect.”
 
This could concievably have an impact on the Iranian deal: http://news.yahoo.com/iranian-caught-stealing-plans-dod-233900566.html
 
China Shows New Mobile ICBM on InternetPhoto reportedly shows missile leaving manufacturing plant
Bill Gertz
February 10, 2014 4:33 pm

China’s military recently disclosed a new photo of its longest-range mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a key element of Beijing’s large-scale strategic nuclear buildup. The photograph of the missile reportedly leaving a manufacturing plant in China was posted online Jan. 31 in what a military enthusiast website stated was the transfer of the missile from a factory to a military unit.

The photograph shows the mobile missile covered in blue tarp and escorted by security police from the factory. The Chinese military frequently discloses such images online as part of efforts to highlight its nuclear forces, among the most secret elements of Beijing’s military forces. According to the online posting by a user identified only as “witten,” the missile was described as the Second Artillery Corps’ Dong Feng-41 (DF-41) ICBM. The bulletin board stated that the missile is considered China’s SS-27 ICBM, a reference to Russia’s road-mobile Topol-M missile. The user stated that the 16-wheeled transporter erector launcher and missile was concealed by the tarp in order to conceal its “infrared defense capabilities.” The online report also said the DF-41 is “lower to the ground and shorter” than the SS-27 and was adapted to transit on Chinese “mountain terrain, rail and road tunnels.”

According to the post, the lower ground profile allows the missile to “to move from tunnel to tunnel during the gap when satellites are out of range”—a reference to China’s 3,000 miles of underground nuclear tunnels and production facilities for nuclear forces.

The underground nuclear network was disclosed two years ago as part of a Georgetown University arms control project that labeled the system “the Great Underground Wall” of China’s nuclear facilities. Disclosure of the missile photo came two weeks after the Washington Free Beacon was the first to report on Dec. 17 that China had conducted a second flight of the DF-41.The new missile is considered a major step forward in China’s strategic nuclear arsenal. The missile is difficult to track because of its mobility. It also is assessed by U.S. intelligence agencies to be outfitted with up to 10 multiple, independently targetable reentry vehicles capable of reaching the United States. The flight test was monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies from a launch at the Wuzhai missile launch center in Shanxi province, according to U.S. officials. An earlier flight test took place July 24, 2012.

The new mobile missile is estimated to have a range of between 6,835 and 7,456 miles. The Pentagon has yet to list the DF-41 as part of the Chinese strategic arsenal, currently made up of a number of older silo-based missiles and newer DF-31 and DF-31A mobile missiles. The Air Force National Air and Space Intelligence Center in a report made public in May did not name the DF-41 but referred to the development of a new long-range ICBM with multiple warheads. “China may also be developing a new road-mobile ICBM capable of carrying a MIRV payload, and the number of warheads on Chinese ICBMs capable of threatening the United States is expected to grow to well over 100 in the next 15 years,” the report stated. Officials said the reference to the new ICBM was meant for the DF-41, whose existence remains secret within the U.S. government. A Chinese language banner on the road where the photo is taken has been censored, suggesting the banner may be related to the missile factory or the military unit receiving the missile.The censorship also indicates that the photo is likely an official leak. China analysts say the People’s Liberation Army frequently discloses new or developmental weapons systems, including stealth jets and unmanned aerial vehicles, as part of preparation for a later formal unveiling of the weapons systems. Former military intelligence official Larry Wortzel told a congressional hearing recently that the DF-41 is an element of China’s strategic nuclear buildup. “China is enhancing its nuclear deterrent capability by modernizing its nuclear force,” Wortzel said Nov. 20. “It is taking measures such as developing a new road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-41. This missile could be equipped with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV), allowing it to carry as many as 10 nuclear warheads.” Wortzel also said it likely China could outfit the DF-41 with penetration aids—decoys and other simulated warheads designed to fool U.S. missile defense sensors.
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Lawmakers: Nyet to Treaty Violators

Republican House members pressed the Obama administration to confront the Kremlin over Russia's alleged violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by testing a new type of ground-launched cruise missile, reported Global Security Newswire. "We believe it is imperative that Russian officials not be permitted to believe they stand to gain from a material breach of this or any other treaty," wrote House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Buck McKeon (Calif.) in a Feb. 6 letter he penned with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (Calif.) and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (Mich.). "Other countries around the world will be closely watching the US response to any Russian violation," they wrote. On Jan. 30, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed that senior US officials had discussed this issue with NATO allies. However, "there's still an ongoing review, an interagency review, determining if there was a violation," she said. The 1987 INF treaty bans ground-launched missiles with ranges between 500 kilometers and 5,500 kilometers. The Russians may have begun testing this cruise missile in 2008, according to GSN. (See also McKeon-Rogers-Thornberry-Turner statement.)
 
Aerojet Rocketdyne Successfully Tests the Large Class Second Stage Motor for the United States Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 12, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp (NYSE:GY) company, announced today that its Large Class 92" diameter second stage solid rocket motor was successfully tested at simulated altitude conditions at the Arnold Engineering and Development Complex (AEDC) at Arnold AFB, Tenn.

The Large Class second stage was designed, fabricated and tested by Aerojet Rocketdyne for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Hill AFB, Utah, under a demonstration contract which required use of available technologies applicable to multiple future common strategic propulsion systems.

"This stage is a significant improvement over currently fielded systems," said Tyler Evans, Aerojet Rocketdyne vice president, Rocket ShopSM defense advanced programs. "The application of this advanced design, using affordable materials and subsystems provided by our strong industrial base partnerships, will reduce future acquisition program costs and improve system reliability. These technologies are relevant across all Air Force and Navy missiles, whether for strategic deterrence, prompt strike or other applications, and they are key to sustaining the needs of the nation's warfighters."

Aerojet Rocketdyne leveraged the contract to sustain and improve the solid rocket motor industrial base, a critical national need recognized by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The company's Rocket ShopSM staff created a stage design capable of being fielded for 35 years, a significant improvement over currently fielded ground-based systems. Affordability features were integrated into the design, including the use of low-cost propellant common to the solid rocket boosters already in production, and a domestically sourced nozzle exit cone material. The motor case was designed and fabricated at the General Dynamics facility in Lincoln, Neb., using domestically sourced carbon fiber. The thrust vector actuation system was fabricated by Honeywell Aerospace in Tempe, Ariz.

Aerojet Rocketdyne cast the motor and assembled the stage at its facility in Sacramento, Calif., using facilities optimized for affordable production. The test was developed and executed at AEDC in conjunction with the Aerospace Testing Alliance, the test facility's operating contractor.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader providing propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense, strategic, tactical missile, and armaments areas in support of domestic and international markets. GenCorp is a diversified company providing innovative solutions to its customers in the aerospace and defense, and real estate markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' websites at www.Rocket.com and www.GenCorp.com.
http://www.rocket.com/article/aerojet-rocketdyne-successfully-tests-large-class-second-stage-motor-united-states-air-force
 
Via the Drudge Report:

http://freebeacon.com/iranian-oil-exports-soar-under-sanctions-collapse/

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/14/saudi-arabia-may-go-nuclear-because-of-obama-s-iran-deal.html
 
1:14 am, February 15, 2014

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)—A U.S. research institute said Thursday that North Korea has accelerated excavation at a site used for underground nuclear test explosions, though a test doesn’t appear imminent.

The findings, based on satellite photographs, were released as Secretary of State John Kerry and his South Korean counterpart warned the North against any possible aggression.

The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies said that the North likely started work last May on a new tunnel at the northeastern test site at Punggye-ri, where it has conducted its three previous nuclear explosions, the latest in February 2013. The institute estimates that the pile of earth excavated from it has doubled since the start of the year.

The findings are based on commercial satellite photographs, the latest taken Feb. 3. The analysis was provided to The Associated Press ahead of publication on the institute’s website, 38 North.
Click to expand...


ORIGINAL CAPTION: The Associated Press

These Jan. 4 and Feb. 3 satellite images taken by Astrium and annotated and distributed by 38 North, show that North Korea has accelerated excavation at a site used for underground nuclear test explosions according to the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies on Thursday.
 

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http://www.space.com/24696-asteroid-strike-nuclear-bombs.html?cmpid=514648_20140214_18598034

This is a perfect use of our national laboratories. It will allow R&D on cutting edge warhead designs getting the most bang for volume in order to fit on a long range space rocket.

Then leverage this into new warheads for the MMIII replacement, D5 replacement and the LRSO.
 
Navy, Air Force Will Wrap Up Nuclear Commonality Analysis In July

Posted: Feb. 14, 2014

The Navy and Air Force will wrap up on an analysis of alternatives in July that focuses on the commonality of two legs of the nuclear triad, an approach that could mitigate significant program risks and offer opportunities for a high return on investment.

The AOA evaluates sub-component commonality of both submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), Vice Adm. Terry Benedict, strategic systems program director, said Feb. 13 during a conference in Arlington, VA. Eight working groups focused on evaluating commonality were established to support the AOA. The working groups are looking at command and control, flight test instrumentation, guidance, nuclear surety, radiation-hardened electronics, reentry systems, strategic propulsion and testing and surveillance, Inside the Navy reported last June. Each working group is composed of subject-matter experts on the Navy Trident II D5 and Air Force Minuteman III strategic weapon systems, Navy spokeswoman April Crew-Kelly wrote in a June email. "The working groups are examining all applicable life cycle phases in order to find the greatest cost savings to the nation," she wrote. "The efforts include [research and development] as well as manufacturing and production, sustainment and demilitarization and disposal, particularly in areas of industry where skill sustainment is of significant importance and where resource and component commonality may be achieved." In October, the Navy and Air Force awarded two contracts to look at commonality in propulsion systems for SLBMs and ICBMs.

The Navy, Air Force, and National Nuclear Security Administration are investigating the possibility of a warhead capable of being used on multiple platforms in order to reduce the number of warhead types, Benedict said. "We remain committed to working with NNSA and the Air Force to manage resources," he added. -- Lee Hudson
 
Via the Drudge Report:
http://news.yahoo.com/iran-seeks-russia-reactor-exchange-oil-131126268.html;_ylt=AqlPIFmEcM_B8_tsGKtsH6PQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBtODI0N3Y3BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxMARzZWMDc3I-

http://dailycaller.com/2014/02/17/iran-official-us-has-accepted-countrys-nuclear-enrichment/
 
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2014/01/10/US-Nukes-Now-It-s-Our-Turn-Catch-Russians
 
http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/us-nuclear-weapons-agency-delay-work-interoperable-warhead/
 
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/missile-defense/behind-the-scenes-at-a-rehearsal-for-armageddon-16355867
 
sferrin said:
SOC said:
No more new ICBM? Don't see this mentioned anywhere.

http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2014/02/end-new-icbm/78986/?oref=d-skybox?oref=d-interstitial-continue?oref=d-interstitial-continue
Click to expand...
Those foodstamps won't pay for themselves.
Click to expand...

There is an annual CBO report that carefully outlines the approximately $120 billion/year wasted in fraud waste and abuse in federal government programs. There has been NO ACTION on this report. My prediction years ago of disarmament by neglect is coming to fruition.
 
I've split the last posts and placed them in an own thread here http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,21516.0.html
First, because I hope, that the questions can be better answered there and second, because
the beginning discussion was correctly reported as not appropriate for a pure NEWS thread !
So, if those news are provoking questions, please try to ask them in a separate thread. The pros
for you are, that later it should be easier to find them again, than in a thread with now about 50 pages.
And for me, the pro clearly is, that I don't have to edit, move or in certain cases delete a post.
You see, quite clearly the beneficiary is you ! ;)
 
ICBM Follow On Analysis Due in June

Orlando, Fla.—The Air Force will have a better understanding of the cost of recapitalizing its ICBM force when the Ground Based Strategic Deterrence analysis of alternatives is complete this June, Air Force Global Strike Command boss Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson said Thursday at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here. Wilson said the AOA is currently under way to determine the future of the land-based leg of the nuclear triad. Options could include a similar system to the Minuteman III, sustaining the existing fleet, or even mobile basing. “Typically, an AOA takes 18 months, we are doing this in 10 months,” said Wilson. He added, “Affordability will be one of the key attributes that we look at. We have to maintain the Minuteman III through 2030, [so] the replacement has to be affordable.” USAF leaders have noted any investment in the Minuteman force must be able to transfer to follow on capability, and Wilson said existing ICBM infrastructure is being factored in to the AOA. Any follow on system, or sustainment of the current fleet, would have to have an initial operational capability starting in the 2030 timeframe, he added.
—Marc V. Schanz
 
The US government's sitting on information that Russia likely breached the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, testing a missile ranged to menace Europe and undercutting the US'reliability as a NATO ally, said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). "It now appears the US government knew for a significant period of time" that Russia has been testing an intermediate-range ballistic missile in violation of the INF treaty—possibly even as US negotiators hammered out the New START agreement with Russia, said Rubio during an event at the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C. "It's interesting to note that the Russians have violated every major weapons treaty they've ever entered into," he added. Rubio said this fact appeared “to be swept under the rug" as the Obama Administration looked to negotiate further arms control agreements with Russia. The fact that the US has not seriously taken Russia to task "lends credence, quite frankly, that the US under this President and Administration is an unreliable partner,” he said Feb. 25. "We should not be entering [into] any more negotiations with the Russians on any weapons system so long as they are openly violating" standing treaties, stressed Rubio. "All you [have] to do is read the Russian media reports" to find abundant evidence that "they are habitually violating multiple different agreements," he concluded.
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They hid the information from Senators during the New START ratification debate.
 
Markey Files Bill to Cut $100 Billion in Nuclear Arms Funds
Feb. 28, 2014By Rachel Oswald

A high-profile U.S. Senate critic of nuclear-weapons spending on Friday introduced a bill that would cut $100 billion over the next decade in arsenal outlays. The Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures -- or "SANE" -- Act, filed by Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass.), is co-sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). Companion legislation has been introduced in the House by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.). "America faces a real choice: spend billions on nuclear weapons we no longer need or fund programs that educate our children and help find cures to deadly diseases," Markey said in provided comments.

Markey previously introduced the SANE Act as a House representative in 2012 and 2013. Though the bills collected a number of co-sponsors, they ultimately got nowhere in the Republican-dominated chamber. It is unclear if Markey's legislation will receive more serious attention in the Democrat-led Senate. The new SANE Act legislation, like previous incarnations, would reduce from 12 to eight the number of SSBN(X) ballistic-missile submarines that are to replace the retiring Ohio-class fleet. The bill also would limit to eight the number of Ohio-class submarines that can currently be fielded. These steps are forecast to produce $16 billion in savings, according to a release from Markey's office. The legislation would do away with any potential nuclear mission for the F-35 and postpone through 2023 development of a new long-range strike bomber resulting in an anticipated $32 billion. Programs to modernize various nuclear warheads would be done away with under the bill, and work would be delayed on a new class of intercontinental ballistic missiles, resulting in an estimated $15 billion in taxpayer dollars. The legislation would ax all missile-defense activities, and cancel plans to build new facilities for fissile-material processing in order to cut an additional $37 billion.

"As we’ve seen in recent stories, the human beings who control [nuclear weapons] can be unreliable," Blumenauer said in a statement included in the Markey release. He apparently was referring to recent scandals surrounding the Air Force's nuclear-missile mission, which have highlighted a number of problems with professionalism and morale inside the officer corps assigned to control the ICBMs.
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I have tabled the Intolerable Naive Senator Against Nuclear Everything - The INSANE ACT :eek:
 
Inside the Air Force - 02/28/2014

W80, W84 being considered


Air Force And NNSA To Select Nuclear Cruise Missile Warhead In Mid-2015


Posted: Feb. 27, 2014

The National Nuclear Security Administration will begin its formal study this July of the two potential warheads that could go on a new nuclear cruise missile, according to an Air Force official. A selection between them would then be expected about a year later.

The two warheads being considered that would give the Long-Range Standoff Missile (LRSO) its nuclear capability are the W80, which is fielded on today's Air-Launched Cruise Missile, or the W84 -- a retired warhead formerly fielded on the Ground-Launched Cruise Missile. Either one would require a life-extension and improvement program to provide the capability the Pentagon is looking for.

In a Feb. 21 interview at the Pentagon, Air Force Lt. Col. Karson Sandman and Lt. Col. Benjamin Travers discussed the status of the LRSO program, which requires both the development of a new missile and the rehabilitation of an existing nuclear warhead. Sandman is the chief of the service's stockpile science and technology branch, responsible for monitoring warhead activities, while Travers is the weapons and platforms branch chief; both of those branches fall within the capabilities division of the Air Force's strategic deterrence and nuclear integration directorate.

Sandman, who works closely with the National Nuclear Security Administration that will perform the planned warhead development work in the near future, said the NNSA will truly begin comparing the two potential warheads in July. That analysis phase is referred to as the "6.1" stage of the administration's acquisition cycle.

A selection between the W80 and W84 would then come around the summer of 2015, he said.

"Activities involved in the 6.1 phase will include an analysis of each of the two warhead candidates against military requirements ranging from quantities to desired technical and surety features," Sandman wrote in a follow-up Feb. 26 email. "One of the first priorities will be to identify the scope of the study and balance that against NNSA and Air Force budgets. The Air Force has requested that a warhead selection be jointly agreed to by the end of the 6.1 phase (approximately one year from inception)."

During the interview, Sandman said the Air Force and NNSA work under a general rule of designing life-extension programs for a period of 10 years, although the actual performance time may vary depending on requirements and funding. That schedule dictates the process should begin shortly, as the Air Force picks up the pace of its LRSO development in fiscal year 2015 as well.

Travers said the LRSO program staff is working on a variety of "pre-milestone A" activities, with a milestone A decision that would clear the program to award one or several technology development contracts expected in the summer. He said the Air Force has not yet decided how much competition is appropriate for LRSO development.

"Do you do competitive prototyping? Do you do prototyping only at the component level? Those questions are being asked and vetted and answered now," Travers said.

As Inside the Air Force has previously reported, four of the defense industry's most prominent companies -- Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon -- are performing LRSO trade studies on a variety of topics. Travers said those studies do not need to be complete ahead of the milestone A review.

The Air Force completed an LRSO analysis of alternatives in 2013.

Sandman noted that the NNSA's somewhat limited warhead production capabilities and its budget -- much more restricted than the Pentagon's -- sometimes cause nuclear programs to progress more slowly than would otherwise occur. That may impact the LRSO program, as NNSA has a number of ongoing warhead life-extensions in the works today.

"They have their labs and then they have their production facilities, and if their production facilities only have a certain capacity and they're doing a full [life-extension program], then they can only fit some discreet amount of work into that schedule," he said. "So then we have to time other events and other program upgrades into that overall schedule."

The service does have some flexibility in its schedule, as the current AGM-86 Air-Launched Cruise Missile is set to remain in service until 2030. But the desire to field a new missile simultaneously with a new nuclear-capable bomber dictates that LRSO be ready by the mid-2020s, the Air Force's stated time line for fielding of the developmental Long-Range Strike Bomber. -- Gabe Starosta
 

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