The Defense Department on Tuesday announced a strategic force structure designed to comply with New START mandates, including the removal of 50 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles from its silos, according to an April 8 Pentagon release. By Feb. 5, 2018, the US will have a total of 454 ICBM launchers in its deployed and non-deployed force, 280 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and 66 heavy bombers, states the release. There also will be 400 deployed ICBMs and 240 deployed SLBMs. “This capable, survivable, and balanced force fully supports the President’s national security strategy and nuclear weapons employment strategy, and maintains strategic stability and deterrence, extended deterrence, and allied assurance,” states the release. (US Nuclear Force Structure fact sheet.) (See also Shifting Towards Equilibrium.)
Air Force officials are exploring the idea of creating a new acquisition office to oversee the point defense mission, in the service’s latest move to intensify its focus on defending airbases from drone and missile attacks, Air Force Secretary Troy E. Meink said Sept. 14, during AFA’s Air, Space &…
