Deterrence Still Cornerstone of U.S. Strategy, Haney Says

By Jim Garamone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2015 – Even in an age of terror groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and al-Qaida, deterrence remains at the heart of America’s security strategy, said Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command.

The key to deterrence is any adversary has to understand “that they cannot escalate their way out of a failed conflict,” he said during an interview at the Washington Navy Yard Aug. 4.

The admiral spoke following a stakeholders meeting at the Navy’s Strategic Systems Program -- the folks who maintain the Navy’s submarine-launched ballistic missile program.

Any attack directed at the United States “would be very costly for them and they will not get the benefits they are trying to achieve,” he said.

Successful deterrence, he said, compels an adversary to acknowledge that “restraint is a much better option.”

Nuclear Deterrence

Nuclear deterrence is the one aspect that most people are familiar with and that is a main concern for Haney.

“We have to be aware of the fact as long as we have countries like Russia and China that have developed this kind of nuclear capability and are deploying this kind of capability,” the admiral said.

Haney emphasized that deterrence is more than nuclear weapons or even the military. “We are not locked into one domain thinking,” he said. “If you take on the United States of America, we will use the appropriate tools out of our kit to associate with that particular business.”

Sometimes a response will be diplomatic, the admiral said. Other times it will be economic or informational. All “are backed by sufficient military capability,” he said.

“At the end of the day, it is my job to deter a strategic attack against the United States of America and its allies,” Haney said, “and to provide the president the decision space and options if deterrence fails.”

Improvements for Nuclear Enterprise

Some past issues involving the nuclear enterprise have been reviewed and improvements are being implemented, Haney said.

“We were able to identify specifically each area we needed to improve in,” the admiral said. Stratcom has been working with the Air Force and Navy in all areas, he said, to institutionalize the improvements suggested by the reviews. These run from changes in training, manning and equipping the associated forces and how the services employ them.

There is no end point to these improvements, the admiral said.

“You have to continue to assess where you are and to work on improving things, either because your adversaries are improving or because you want to do it in a more efficient and effective way,” he said.

All components and members of the nuclear enterprise will build this continuous improvement into their battle cycle, the admiral said. Since the reviews, the command has done another review of the nuclear command and control capability. That review pointed to areas that needed attention, and the command and the services are addressing them, he said.

Nuclear Triad

The nuclear triad of ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and manned bombers needs attention, the admiral said. These systems need to have the right attributes and performance factors to work today and in the future, Haney said.

Looking ahead, the peak funding for the nuclear triad will be in the mid-2020s and should constitute about six to seven percent of defense total obligation authority, Haney said.

There really isn’t a choice, he said. Haney used the ballistic missile submarines as an example.

“When we decommission it, [the Ohio-class submarine] will have 42 years of service life -- well beyond the 30 years it was designed for,” Haney said. “The good news is we’ve been able to extend that platform, but we can’t do it any further so it has to be replaced.”

There’s a program for the bomber and for the ICBM force, he said.

“As we work these, we still have to be thoughtful and look at our requirements to ensure we can save where we can,” he said. “One area is the commonality that we can have, and generate a synergistic effect … in looking at what things we can have that are common between the intercontinental ballistic missile and the submarine-launched ballistic missile program.”

Haney said a letter signed by himself, Navy Assistant Secretary for Research, Development and Acquisition Sean J. Stackley and Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition William A. LaPlante, highlights this move to commonality and savings.

Warhead fusing components are a collaborative effort between the Air Force, Navy and Department of Energy labs, he said.

“It doesn’t mean they all look the same, but there are common parts and pieces and common methodologies so we can avoid paying bills twice,” Haney said. “Where we can have common designs that makes sense given the technological and advantages we have today.”

Visiting ‘Strategic Warriors’

Haney spends a lot of time visiting what he calls “the strategic warriors” in their foxholes -- the silos, subs and planes.

“These folks are passionate about getting the mission right for the United States of America and I’m proud of each and every one of them,” he said. “I find in my frank discussions with them … that they are in there to serve our country, do the mission right and I do sense an improvement in morale.”

Haney addressed deterrence in the cyber world, saying it is much like any other realm of combat.

“Any adversary that wants to take us on in [cyber or space] domains must understand that we not only work on the defensive aspect, but our national leaders can pick what methodology they want to use, not restricted to a particular domain,” he said.

They need to understand, they won’t get the benefits they hope to achieve with a cyber or space attack, the admiral said.

“We have to be able to differentiate between working against a cybercrime that occurs rather than a strategic attack using the cyberspace domain,” he said.

The United States will not spell out what will happen to those who launch cyberattacks, the admiral said, and that is fine because some ambiguity is necessary.

“The whole of government approach that our country uses has to be thoughtful and tailored to the right answer,” he said.

AFGSC commander bids farewell

by Senior Airman Joseph Raatz
2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs

7/24/2015 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson will transfer command of Air Force Global Strike Command to Gen. Robin Rand during a ceremony here, July 28, before moving on to his next assignment as the deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

Wilson has led AFGSC since October 2013, overseeing more than 23,000 people operating at locations around the world. In this position, he was responsible for organizing, training, equipping and maintaining all U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile and nuclear-capable bomber forces.

During his time, national defense leaders including the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force have reaffirmed the importance of the command's mission.

"Our nation's leaders have said time and again that our number one mission area when it comes to defense is nuclear deterrence," Wilson said. "We here at AFGSC have a lot of things going on -- and a lot is asked of us -- but we can never forget our most important responsibility, which is to be a safe, secure and effective nuclear force."

In February 2014, Wilson established the Force Improvement Program, an aggressive grass-roots effort to quickly provide senior Air Force leaders with recommendations to foster positive changes within the command. Directly engaging with Airmen to discover possible areas of improvement, FIP opens lines of communication between the Airmen in the field and senior leaders to drive rapid, lasting change.

"We knew we had to change some things," Wilson said. "The FIP helped us remove communication barriers and other obstacles from people's paths, allowing them to be empowered."

Over the year and a half since FIP began, the program has evolved into a continuous force improvement philosophy where Airmen are encouraged to keeping finding ways to improve upon their mission.

"We have tremendous Airmen out in the field making the mission happen every single day, and with the FIP they were able to see their own ideas take root and help make the command better. This built even more empowerment," Wilson said. "Through the program, we were able to institutionalize those best practices throughout the command, making us smarter and stronger across the board."

Also during Wilson's time as commander, the Air Force decided to realign three more bases under AFGSC, which will increase the command's footprint to eight bases. The 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas and the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, will join AFGSC in October.

With the Long Range Strike-Bomber program also moving to AFGSC, a single command will be responsible for organizing, training and equipping Airmen to perform the Air Force's global strike mission.

With an eye on the future, Wilson was instrumental in promoting modernization or replacement programs for multiple weapons systems. Among these is a successor to the current Minuteman III ICBM, known as the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, and LRS-B. These programs are vital to the United States' continued ability to defend itself against any threat and to protect its interests and those of its allies around the world, Wilson explained.

Despite his success in managing the materiel needs of the command, the general consistently maintained it is the Airmen who are in fact the command's most valuable and important resource.

"While it's always important that we maintain and evolve our aircraft, missiles, weapons and command and control systems, the most important part of all of it is our human weapon system," Wilson said. "Our people are what make everything else work, and we couldn't hope to be successful in our mission without them. That's why we're continuing to put so much effort into making sure our people are as well trained and equipped as possible; whether it's through some of our new classes offered through the Leadership Development Center and our new School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies, or provided with state-of-the-art gear through our Model Defender program, we want to continue to empower our people to be the best in the world at what they do."

During his final weeks in office, the general asked Airmen to empower their successors in continuing to improve the command. AFGSC Airmen are among the finest in the world and there's no doubt that they will continue doing an exemplary job, he said.

"It's been a great honor and the privilege of my career to be the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command," Wilson concluded. "It's really been a dream come true. I'll look back upon my time here with some great memories of some terrific people who are so dedicated to our Air Force and our nation. They make me incredibly proud."

Dempsey Details Challenges in Visit to Nebraska Base

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. – Likening the global security environment to strong winds such as those that come with severe weather here in the central plains, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke today about challenges buffeting the nation.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey and his wife, Deanie, spoke with 300 service members, Defense Department civilians and family members this afternoon at this base in Omaha -- an American Indian name, the chairman noted, that means “those who go against the wind.”

“It’s a pretty challenging time, and we only get through it because of perseverance,” Dempsey said, noting that the past decade has seen the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the global terrorism threat and emerging security and economic challenges.

The chairman’s town hall meeting included a cross-section of Offutt Air Force Base, home of the 55th Wing, U.S. Strategic Command and the Air Force Weather Agency.

Stratcom is responsible for the U.S. legacy nuclear command and control mission, space operations, global strike, Defense Department information operations, global missile defense, and global command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

“Deanie and I want to compliment you on what you do for your country with a rather incredible portfolio,” the chairman said.

Dempsey talked about his focus on three major defense transitions. The first transition the chairman described involves resetting the force for different kinds of security challenges.

“We spent 10 years focused like a laser beam on counterinsurgency,” Dempsey noted. “We’ve got to still do some of that, … as well as confronting global terrorism for the foreseeable future.”

But most of the force will be resetting itself, the chairman said, “rekindling skills that maybe have been sidelined,” to get ready for the challenges expected in the second half of this decade.

The second major transition will be from a bigger budget to a smaller budget, Dempsey said.

“The question we will answer with your help is how much smaller will that budget become and still allow us to preserve the resources necessary to live up to the responsibility we have … to prevent the United States of America from being coerced in any domain. We are a global power,” the chairman said.

“I think we can figure that out with your help,” he added.

The third transition, of a military at war to a more peaceful time, may be the most challenging of all, Dempsey said.

The Defense Department must do it right, he added. “[We must] make sure that we don’t abandon someone who has served their country in time of war and toss them over the transom,” he said.

The challenge will come from trying to merge the processes the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments, as well as trying to reach out to the civilian sector and academia to help service members who, in increasing numbers, will become veterans.

“Over the last 10 years, what has kept us together is a bond of trust, probably unique in any profession at any time,” Dempsey said. Seeing these transitions through, he told the audience, will help to sustain that trust, even through uncertainties of budget or security.

The first question Dempsey took was about the nature of his service to President Barack Obama as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“One of my responsibilities … as part of the Joint Chiefs [is to] take a look at the individual issues that consume your time -- so Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Egypt, wherever it happens to be,” he explained.

“Our job is to make sure we see the whole thing in context. … We try not to look at a particular event -- for example, a ballistic missile test -- but rather to provide the context in which that event exists,” he added.

Such a test could be described in the context of a North Korea interested in becoming increasingly nuclear and having a new leader, in a region dominated by a China that had changed over 10 years and one in which the United States is assuming a larger presence.

“Our advice becomes how to address that range of issues,” Dempsey said, “but in context, so that we can shape the future regionally and globally, not narrowly.”

To a question about health care costs, the chairman said it’s a topic he wrestles with intellectually and emotionally, along with issues of personnel costs, compensation and retirement.

“It’s a big pile of money -- in fact it’s the biggest pile of money that we have in the budget, and … that manpower account is placing a greater demand on the budget overall than it ever has, and it’s not sustainable,” he explained.

“I’m not saying that to be Chicken Little,” Dempsey added. “I’m telling you the facts: that our manpower costs, at the size force that we have today, will quickly overwhelm the budget.”

The Defense Department has to figure out how to make its manpower costs more affordable, he said.

“If we fail to do that, and we are precluded [by Congress] from shedding unneeded infrastructure, … then the only place you can absorb the reduction is in operations, maintenance and training. And that is not an Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard that I want to be part of,” the chairman said.

Dempsey predicted that the department probably won’t be able to balance the manpower account in the fiscal 2013 budget, which means next year the department will try again to make that happen.

“The commitment I’ll make to you is that we will do so in as equitable, fair, transparent, credible way we can," he said, "but we have to touch it."

Pacific Fleet Commander Reflects on Operation Tomodachi

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – As he prepares to turn over the reins of U.S. Pacific Fleet, Navy Adm. Patrick M. Walsh looks back with pride in his command’s adaptability in responding to last year’s earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan.

Navy Adm. Cecil D. Haney, former deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command, will take over as leader of the world’s largest fleet tomorrow.

Walsh spoke about the challenges and opportunities facing America in the region during an interview earlier this week. Speaking from his headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the admiral talked about the U.S. military assistance effort, dubbed Operation Tomodachi, in response to the March disaster.

More than 15,400 people died in the tragedy. Coastal villages, towns and cities were almost obliterated by the earthquake and tsunami. American aid to the Japanese ultimately included 20 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, almost 20,000 personnel, and huge amounts of supplies and heavy equipment.

Walsh was in Hawaii when the earthquake struck. He soon realized it was a catastrophic event for the Japanese, he said, and damage to the nuclear power plant at Fukushima made providing assistance that much tougher.

The U.S. military worked in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The experience, skills, education and training that military people possess was quite adaptable to the situation, he said.

“It was important that we had a force that was forward, that was ready, that was credible, and that has relationships that extend well beyond simple military-to-military ties,” Walsh said.

American service members had a long history of working with Japanese counterparts and understood the culture and sensitivities, the admiral noted. The “can-do” attitude of American commanders in the region helped tremendously, he added.

“You have the forward-deployed naval officers who aren’t waiting for orders to move ships, but are reacting and responding quickly,” the admiral said.

Walsh stressed the importance of building relationships with regional partners, and the longstanding relationship with the Japanese was crucial to this effort. “It’s important to say this was not a cold start for us,” he said. “We had personal contacts with our counterparts in the region long before the earthquake and tsunami.”

American officials knew who to call and what to say to their Japanese counterparts as soon as the extent of the disaster became known, Walsh said, and Pacific Fleet has the experience and contacts to do this in other parts of the region.

“The flexible and adaptive capabilities of the force and the experience base of the force would work in other situations,” Walsh said. “We would, of course, have to tailor our approach to the needs of other countries.”

Stratcom Chief Discusses U.S. Nuclear Triad

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2011 – While 10 years of war have focused the military on conventional weapons, the nation’s nuclear force is in need of attention, a senior officer told Defense Writers Group reporters yesterday.

Air Force Gen. C. Robert “Bob” Kehler leads U.S. Strategic Command, which with its subordinate and functional commands is responsible for missile defense; global strike; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; cyber defense and space operations, as well as combating weapons of mass destruction.

Stratcom’s nuclear mission is one of its “big three” responsibilities, along with space and cyber, Kehler said.

The U.S. nuclear triad includes 450 land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic missiles deliverable by 76 Air Force B-52s and 20 B-2s, and 18 Navy Ohio-class submarines carrying ballistic or cruise missiles.

While sustaining current systems is an immediate issue, the triad also needs to be modernized in the coming decades, Kehler said, noting the Ohio-class submarine fleet likely will reach the end of its service life in the late 2020s.

“That will come because of reasons that the Navy understands well about operating platforms that are constantly subjected to [pressure variations],” he said. “We’re going to have to make some decisions … [that will] require us to have some modernization programs in place.”

All three of the triad legs “need to be sustained … until replacements come along. And, of course, the replacements are being discussed in the budget discussions, as well,” Kehler said.

The Air Force plans to replace the B-52 fleet with a long-range strike platform or family of systems, which Air Force leaders have said would center on a new long-range, penetrating bomber, a global strike system, a long-range standoff weapon, and an enabler system.

Stratcom’s chief said his organization has set three requirements for the new system: it must be truly long range; it must be able to penetrate defenses; and it must serve as both a conventional and a nuclear platform.

While Stratcom has not set a specific intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance requirement for the new system, Kehler said, the value of a platform that can both drop bombs and gather intelligence is clear.

“The more flexibility that we can include in platforms today, the better,” he said.

Over the course of its active service with the Air Force beginning in 1955, the B-52 has served as a platform for conventional bombs, smart weapons and nuclear weapons, he said.

The current challenge is sustaining the B-52 as a standoff nuclear platform until a new long-range strike capability comes on line, Kehler said.

What aircraft or missiles the Air Force will ultimately select and fund for future long-range strike missions still is under discussion, he added.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has been clear that he wants defense budget decisions to be based on strategy, and planning discussions now underway are taking that approach, Kehler said.

“I continue to stand by the need for a triad; certainly in the near term, I believe that we can sustain a triad,” the general said. “I think there are going to be interesting questions about both the scope and pace of modernization as we go forward.”

The U.S.-Russia strategic arms reduction treaty known as “New START” that took effect this year sets nuclear force ceilings at 1,550 deployed weapons and 750 deployed launchers, Kehler noted.

“In that structure, I believe a triad of forces makes the most strategic … [and] operational sense,” he said. “As we look into the strategic future, the answer about whether or not we’re going to need a triad, I think, is ‘it depends.’”

Future arms control agreements, force structure and budget levels will factor into the decision of whether to reduce the triad, he said.

“Can we, in fact, as we look to modernize … afford to spend the resources to modernize the entire triad? Those are not all questions for today,” Kehler said.

A viable nuclear force requires sufficient force structure, expertise, and industrial-base support for weapons, he said.

“You can have a hollow nuclear force, and we need to be very careful about that,” he added.

Strategic Command Bids Farewell to Cartwright

By Staff Sgt. Alicia Prakash, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 13, 2007 - Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, the new No. 2 officer in the Defense Department, ceremonially relinquished command of U.S. Strategic Command to Air Force Lt. Gen. C. Robert Kehler in a ceremony here Aug. 10. Cartwright was confirmed as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Aug. 3. Kehler has assumed the duties as chief of Strategic Command until the Senate confirms a new commander.

As military members and community leaders gathered on the parade field to say goodbye and bid well wishes to the STRATCOM leader of the past three years, Kehler offered his thoughts on behalf of the command.

"This is a bittersweet day for Strategic Command," he said. "The men and women of this command are very, very proud of where you are headed and the job you are about to take on with a great deal of gusto. I am sure it will be with the same kind of intensity that you showed here."

As vice chairman, Cartwright is the second ranking member of the armed forces. He would replace the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in his absence or disability as the principal military advisor to the president.

"It has been an honor to lead the men and women of U.S. Strategic Command," Cartwright said. "This joint team of military and civilian members has continuously impressed me with their talent, professionalism and selfless dedication to duty."

As STRATCOM commander, Cartwright was responsible for global command and control of U.S. strategic forces to meet decisive national security objectives. The command is one of nine U.S. unified commands under the Department of Defense and provides a broad range of strategic capabilities and options for the president and secretary of defense.

"This has been a very tumultuous time as we are a nation at war," Cartwright said during the ceremony. "Our forces are deployed all over the globe. The area of responsibility for this command starts at about 23,000 miles in space, hits every country and embassy in the world and the depths of the deepest parts of the ocean."

During Cartwright's tenure here he carried out a significant role making notable changes within the command.

In 2005, his hands-on familiarity with technology led to the development of the Strategic Knowledge Integration Web, commonly known as the SKI Web. This 24-hour Web-based collaborative tool allows for interactive information sharing on a classified level. It operates on real time and is a virtual operation and intelligence meeting.

Also in 2005, Cartwright decided to delegate authority for operational and tactical level planning, force execution and day-to-day management of forces to joint functional component commands. These organizations further "operationalize" assigned missions and focus the command on strategic-level integration and advocacy of Unified Command Plan-assigned missions.

"Thank you for setting the condition in which this command can operate on a global scale day in and day out and know that our people are taken care of," Cartwright said. "This is a wonderful place to live, a wonderful place where children can go to school and have a fond memory of it."

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced July 24 that the president nominated Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton for appointment to the grade of general and assignment as commander of U.S. Strategic Command. Chilton is currently serving as commander of Air Force Space Command, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

(Air Force Staff Sgt. Alicia Prakash is assigned to U.S. Strategic Command Public Affairs.)