The 40-member Republican Senate body, along with Sen. Joe Lieberman (D/I-Conn.), last month wrote President Obama, reminding him that the START follow-on agreement must be accompanied by an articulate plan to modernize the US nuclear deterrent when it is submitted to the Senate for ratification. Linkage between the two is based on a provision in the Fiscal 2010 defense authorization act, they stated in the missive. The US and Russia are still finalizing the new arms control pact. “We don’t believe further reductions can be in the national security interest of the US in the absence of a significant program to modernize our nuclear deterrent,” wrote these Senators. Specifically, they want the Administration to fund projects to: extend the life of B61 and W76 nuclear weapons; field a modern warhead; enable stockpile surveillance; and replace nuclear facilities across the nation.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.