The end of the Cold War has done nothing to ease the debate over nuclear weapons and nuclear strategy, concludes the Defense Science Board in its Nuclear Capabilities report summary released last month. Tasked to assess current and future capabilities, the DSB finds no consensus on the need for nuclear weapons, although “most Americans” agree the US must maintain a deterrent to counter possible threats. “Entrenched views” leave room for “little genuine debate,” states the report. Meanwhile, the highly respected DSB believes “current deficiencies in the nuclear weapons complex are already resulting in triage among demands to sustain a healthy nuclear enterprise.”
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.