The US freely made the decision to reduce the number of warheads on its ICBMs down to one and is not compelled to do so under the terms of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia, Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, US Strategic Command boss, told the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday. Accordingly, the Russian are not required “to deMIRV” their missiles under the terms of the agreement, he said. “We elect to do that and I think it is the right thing to do,” since it will allow the US “to better utilize” the nuclear warheads that it is allowed under the treaty, he said. (Both sides are allowed up to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads.) He added, “We still will retain the capability to re-MIRV should that be required” in case of some geopolitical development or technological issue with another nuclear delivery vehicle. (Chilton’s prepared remarks)
The Pentagon is counting on Congress to navigate a legislative tightrope and pass a party-line bill to fund nearly a quarter of its $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027, including billions of dollars for top priorities like Golden Dome, the F-35, munitions, and unmanned systems. Experts and lawmakers from…