Nuclear deterrence at risk from aging
strategic forces and warheads
Washington Times,
by
Bill Gertz
Original Article
Posted By: Ribicon,
5/24/2022 1:35:07 PM
U.S. strategic missiles, bombers and submarines are old and operating beyond their technical life expectancies, and replacements and upgraded warheads are needed urgently to deter growing nuclear threats from China, Russia and North Korea, according to military and defense officials. “We don’t have any margin left to delay programs,” Air Force Lt. Gen. James C. Dawkins Jr., the deputy chief of staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration at the Pentagon, said in a recent congressional hearing. Gen. Dawkins and other nuclear officials told lawmakers reviewing a Pentagon request for $634 billion over 10 years for weapon and warhead system upgrades that any delays in overdue strategic modernization
Reply 1 - Posted by:
DVC 5/24/2022 1:57:02 PM (No. 1164913)
Yes, I have posted on this multiple times. We have only about 2500 total nuclear weapons left that can be used. ALL were designed and built in the 60s through the late 80s. They have had their electronics upgraded, often several times, but are all very old technology.
We have absolutely NO ability to build a new nuclear weapon from scratch. CANNOT do it. We scrapped that capability in the early 90s when they closed down the Rocky Flats Plant in Colorado. It has not been 'reconstituted' as they said it would be.
Our treasonous leaders are slowly pulling all our fangs leaving us toothless in the face of increasing numbers of Chinese and Russian nukes, all newly designed and built.
6 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
SALady 5/24/2022 2:04:06 PM (No. 1164919)
Sadly, there just isn't any money in the budget left for new weapons after everything they had to spend to make the US military totally "woke", do all those sex-change operations, buy all those "pride" flags, and move personnel around because they got their feelings hurt...
4 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Rich323 5/24/2022 2:07:39 PM (No. 1164923)
President Trump directed the required nuclear policy review immediately in January 2017. From what we have heard recently, I wonder if the SECDEF Esper ignored the direction of the President Trump and continued with Obama’s direction instead which would be treasonous. One of the findings discussed in 2018 state department review, was to restore a sub launched cruise missile cancelled by Obama to provide a lesser nuke response than a sub launched full size missile. Something is rotten about this whole discussion - we need TRUTH!
5 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Highlander 5/24/2022 2:24:36 PM (No. 1164936)
As far as I’m concerned, we have no deterrence. We’re just sitting ducks.
3 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
weejun 5/24/2022 3:03:58 PM (No. 1164975)
#1: the Rocky Flats plant closure may pale in comparison to the problem prensented by the retirement of a huge portion of the scientific/engineering community that designed and built most of the nuclear warheads (e.g., W78; W87; B-W63/83; W80; W88; etc. ) currently carried by US Strategic Nuclear Forces. As far as I can tell, the only new warhead being designed by LANL/LLNL/SNL is the W93 for the SLBM force, and it won’t be available until 2030 or so. This community has slowly attrited over the years, essentially due to little or no warhead design activity, and it hasn’t been replaced (example: some US warheads use PETN detonators, and the world’s PETN detonator design expert worked at LANL. He retired years ago and most of his experience/expertise walked out the door with him). In the face of this dwindling design capability, the US has mostly resorted to “refurbishment” of existing warheads. That may be okay, but at some point the reliabilty of the US nuclear stockpile has to become questionable. On the other hand, I can guarantee The Russian and Chinese warhead design teams are alive and well.
2 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
stablemoney 5/24/2022 3:19:10 PM (No. 1164983)
Trump said he updated the nuclear force, and we spend more than any other nation on defense, or diversity training and unnecessary shots. The military and military complex always circulate these articles to raise more money. Congress uses it to justify more spending, which for sure won't be spent here, only said to be for this. I think we have paid to have the roads and bridges redone about 50 times, and gotten that done no times.
1 person likes this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
MDConservative 5/24/2022 3:36:23 PM (No. 1164997)
At the end of the day, why can't we depend on our NATO allies for the next 50 years, a sort of pro quid pro for extending our defense umbrella since 1945? The Brits and French have nukes, as do the Isrealis (not NATO members) and who knows who else might. Now, let's look at the other side, that Axis of Evil or whatever Joe and the press are calling them. The Russians are nearly a spent force militarily. They can't even beat Ukraine. The Chinese are reportedly in an economic death spiral with a population crash coming soon as the previous one-child policies take grip amid the die out of the elderly. The Norks...they are who they are, essentially beggars at the Chinese table.
History tells us the status quo doesn't last forever. Just over a century ago Europe was a few empires that controlled the continent and much of the world. The British empire never saw the sunset. The Czar was running stuff in Russia. Half the current countries didn't exist. That's just more than a lifetime ago. Just 30 years ago there was a Soviet Union.
The United States needs to ditch the "Leader of the Free World" scam that sets it up to engage in adventures that are none of our business. We've even gone to rescue potentates. How democratic? The US needs to ditch NATO, or move its forces to the alliance's western flank and let the Euros take care of their own follies, and the Russian "threat". The US needs to get real about the size of its standing military. We aren't invading China or Russia or anywhere with more than a junior varsity B-team military, and we won't stop the southern invasion. Demographics indicate manpower will be a growing challenge unless we can issue H-1B-like visas for soldiers. Our navy is another mess, and demanding reform, including recasting its strategic role in our defense.
$30 TRILLION in debt and growing...it's never enough.
3 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
DVC 5/24/2022 4:31:11 PM (No. 1165060)
Re #5, exactly so. You clearly speak the language of someone in the NWC. Been there, retired, and worked with many of the young PhDs who replaced those old heads, and some youngsters are OK, others are terrified to change ANYTHING because they know that they are so clueless that they cannot tell a harmless change from a hideous mistake....so no changes.
We haven't designed or tested a weapon in 30 years. We really aren't sure if we even CAN design a weapon that would actually work. Now designed totally by computer simulations. In the old days, they used a lot of smart folks, lots of heavy duty math.....and they TESTED the weapons. Not all actually worked, most did.
Our capabilities are wasting away, both design and manufacturing. We are applying bandaids to designs that are 40 to 60 years old.
5 people like this.
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The Pentagon is feeling left out in the cold and light in the pockets since we're not at war right now (but not for a lack of trying). Sorry, gals; it doesn't cost nearly that much to promote LGBTQ-pedo pride worldwide, and to combat toxic Whiteness wherever it may be found. Besides, we're busy creating the Future of America through mass immigration of third world peasants who consume tax dollars like mad, so again, too late.