By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel
has announced a series of measures to increase investment in America’s nuclear
deterrent after reviews found evidence of systemic problems in the enterprise.
Hagel announced the changes at a Pentagon press conference
today before traveling to Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, to speak with
missileers about them. The changes are
the result of internal and external reviews Hagel ordered after a series of
Associated Press stories disclosed problems in the nuclear force.
Retired Air Force Gen. Larry D. Welch and retired Navy Adm.
John C. Harvey Jr. co-chaired the external review.
Nuclear Arsenal Safe
Hagel prefaced his remarks by assuring Americans that the
nuclear arsenal is safe and secure. It can and must be better though, he said.
“As long as we have nuclear weapons, we will and we must ensure that they are
safe, secure and effective,” Hagel said.
Hagel said underfunding and a focus on two wars allowed the
status of the nuclear deterrent to degrade. Service members accomplished the
missions in the nuclear enterprise thanks to their own “heroic efforts.”
“The internal and external reviews I ordered show that a
consistent lack of investment and support for our nuclear forces over far too
many years has left us with too little margin to cope with mounting stresses,”
Hagel said.
The reviews found evidence of systematic problems. These
include manning, infrastructure and skill deficiencies. The reviews found “a
culture of micromanagement and over-inspection,” the secretary said. Finally,
the reviews found inadequate communication, follow-up and accountability.
Root Cause
“The root cause has been a lack of sustained focus,
attention and resources, resulting in a pervasive sense that a career in the
nuclear enterprise offers too few opportunities for growth and advancement,”
Hagel said.
The secretary vowed to hold senior leaders accountable to
ensure words match actions. “We must change the cultural perception of a
nuclear enterprise, which has particularly suffered in the Air Force,” he said.
“We must restore the prestige that attracted the brightest minds of the Cold
War era, so our most talented young men and women see the nuclear pathway as
promising in value.”
As part of this, the commander of the Air Force Global
Strike Command will now be elevated to a four-star.
More funding is also crucial. The Air Force established a
force improvement program for Global Strike Command and reallocated over $160
million in fiscal 2014 and $150 million in fiscal 2015. These will address some
of the most urgent shortfalls. Hagel said missileers had to Fed-Ex a special
wrench used in fastening warheads to missiles from base to base.
Some of the money will go to incentive pay for critical
nuclear assignments.
Long-term Changes
Long-term changes are on the way, the secretary said. DoD is
updating and standardizing inspections. The department wants to eliminate micromanagement,
redundancies and administrative burdens that overtax the force and ultimately
harm the mission.
“The Navy is reducing administrative distractions and is
planning to both hire more than 2,500 workers and overhaul aging infrastructure
at public shipyards, strategic weapons facilities and reactor training
systems,” the secretary said.
The Air Force is planning construction to improve weapons
storage facilities, will replace its Vietnam-era helicopters for ballistic
missile security forces and is revamping training, evaluations and management
of the nuclear force.
“Both services are elevating and reinforcing the nuclear
mission, including in the budget request they’re preparing for fiscal year
2016,” Hagel said. “We will need to make billions of dollars of additional
investments in the nuclear enterprise over the next five years.”
The secretary said the services are looking at a 10 percent
increase in funding over five years. Today, the U.S. spends about $15 billion
to $16 billion on our nuclear enterprise.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment