Washington Examiner: Jim Mattis says he's open to rethinking triad, nuclear cruise missile
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congress Wednesday he has an open mind about possibly scaling back some nuclear systems, as long as deterrence is not sacrificed, as he faces a more than $1 trillion bill to rebuild America's arsenal over the next three decades.
"We're looking at each leg of the triad and we're looking at each weapon inside each leg," Mattis testified before a Senate subcommittee reviewing the Pentagon budget request for fiscal 2018. "What I'm looking for is a deterrent that will be most compelling to make certain these weapons are never used."
Mattis is referring to the Pentagon's Nuclear Posture Review, a top-to-bottom assessment of U.S. nuclear capabilities and strategy, including the Cold War era "triad" of bombers, submarines and ground missiles designed to ensure the U.S. could counterattack after a first strike.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Examining America's nuclear triad is long overdue. What is also changing the dynamics of nuclear weaponry is advancements in potential delivery systems. An example .... the development of hyper-sonic missiles missiles would make the LRSO (air-launched nuclear cruise missile) out of date.
No comments:
Post a Comment