All The Nuclear Horns Are Catching Up (Daniel 8)

Carter says nuclear-armed foes catching up to the US

By JAMIE MCINTYRE • 11/3/16 12:41 PM

Defense Secretary Ash Carter delivered an impassioned defense of the Pentagon's extensive and expensive program to rebuild all three legs of the U.S. nuclear triad, arguing America's adversaries have been strengthening their nuclear capabilities, while the U.S. has allowed its arsenal to fall into disrepair.

Speaking at a change of command ceremony at U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, Carter called nuclear deterrence the bedrock of U.S. security, and said it would be a mistake to think spending less on nuclear weapons would prompt America's foes to spend less as well.

"The evidence is to the contrary," Carter said. "They have consistently invested in nuclear weapons during a quarter-century pause in U.S. investment."

Carter said while the U.S. made only modest investments in maintaining its aging Cold War nuclear arsenal of land-based missiles, submarines and bombers, other countries were busy amassing formidable nuclear forces.

"While we didn't build anything new for 25 years, and neither did our allies, others did — including Russia, North Korea, China, Pakistan, India, and for a period of time, Iran," Carter said. "We can't wait any longer."

The Pentagon's plan to rebuild its strategic forces is estimated to cost $1 trillion over 30 years, and includes replacing nuclear air-launched cruise missiles with long-range standoff weapon that can be delivered by a new stealthy B-21 bomber, a new ballistic submarine fleet to replace the Ohio-class subs, the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent to replacing aging Minuteman ballistic missiles, and state-of-the-art nuclear command, control and communications systems.

Carter also acknowledged that the U.S. has also failed to properly appreciate and incentivize the people who carry out the nuclear deterrence mission, and Carter promised that underinvestment would be corrected as well.

"You deter large-scale nuclear attack against the United States and our allies," Carter told the enlisted personnel gathered in a large hangar. "You help convince potential adversaries that they can't escalate their way out of a failed conventional aggression. You assure our allies that our extended deterrence guarantees are credible."