US Nuke Focus Has Drifted ‘A Little:’ Hagel

[unhappycamper]

http://breakingdefense.com/2014/07/us-nuke-focus-has-drifted-a-little-hagel/



US Nuke Focus Has Drifted ‘A Little:’ Hagel
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. and Colin Clark on July 09, 2014 at 5:25 PM

Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, during a two-day round of base visits to highlight top budgetary concerns, told an all-hands gathering of nuclear submariners today that America’s military has let its focus on nuclear issues “drift” under pressure from the last 13 years of land wars.

“Over the years we’ve let our focus on the nuclear deterrence aspect of our national security drift a little, that’s somewhat understandable,” he said, “noting that “for 13 years this country has been at war in long, large landmass wars.”

Hagel was referring obliquely to two scandals involving nuclear materials, one involving drug use and cheating on proficiency exams at an Air Force nuclear missile base and the other involving cheating by some of the enlisted men and women who teach submariners to maintain and operate the nuclear plants that power our attack and nuclear-missile submarines.

The visit is part of Hagel’s ongoing review of the nuclear enterprise and is certainly meant to highlight the importance of the replacement for the Ohio-class submarines that carry and launch ICBMs armed with nuclear warheads.

[Ghost Dog]

1. In the photo, one of UK's Clyde-based

Vanguard class. (... The missile compartment is based on the system used on the American Ohio class, although only 16 missiles are fitted, rather than the 24 equipped on the Ohio class... The boats are capable of deploying with a maximum of 192 independently targetable warheads, or MIRVs, with immediate readiness to fire. However, as a result of a decision taken by the 1998 Strategic Defence Review this was reduced to 48 warheads with a readiness to fire reduced 'to days rather than minutes'. Furthermore the total number of warheads maintained by the United Kingdom was reduced to approximately 200, with a total of 58 trident missiles. The reduced warhead load per missile allowed the development of lower-yield non-strategic warheads loading options.[2][4] The 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review reduced this number further and the submarines will put to sea in future with a reduced total of 40 warheads and a reduced missile load of 8 (from a maximum possible 16). The number of operationally available nuclear warheads is to be reduced 'from fewer than 160 to no more than 120' and the total UK nuclear weapon stockpile will number no more than 180.[27])

--> The part I've highlighted worries me.