The Air Force reportedly is still considering the use of Minuteman ICBMs fitted with conventional warheads to answer the quick global strike requirement, but service, industry, and congressional stakeholders alike remain skittish, believing such a capability would make everyone else in the world very nervous. A conventional ICBM launch would look just like the launch of a nuke, and other nuclear powers might not be inclined to believe Washington reassurances via the hotline.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
