Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
September 23, 2008
Pg. 6
The U.S. Air Force has taken a step toward fixing its beleaguered nuclear enterprise, putting forward a number of recommendations at a so-called nuclear summit in Washington, D.C., Sept. 18.
Air Force leadership, including Acting Secretary Michael Donley and Gen. Norton Schwartz, the new chief of staff, met to push ahead with addressing concerns outlined in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Nuclear Weapons Management report unveiled by an OSD-commissioned task force Sept. 16.
One hundred eighty corrective actions, costing up to $1.5 billion, were detailed in the report, including the possibility of redesignating Air Force Space Command as Air Force Strategic Command (AFSTRAT), which would have singular responsibility for the nuclear mission (Aerospace DAILY, Sept. 16).
Among the decisions made at the nuclear summit:
*An expanded Nuclear Weapons Center (NWC) will be responsible for all nuclear sustainment, clearing up previously ambiguous chains of command; and NWC will handle all sustaining activities inside continental U.S. weapon storage areas;
*USAF will establish a stronger, more centralized inspection process built upon common policies and procedures effectively integrated with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA);
*The service will consolidate and expand lead-in and follow-on, mission-specific training within Air Education and Training Command for security personnel assigned to nuclear duties;
* There will be a new Headquarters Air Force (HAF) staff office, split out from the existing HAF office, to provide singular focus on nuclear matters in the armed service’s headquarters.
Final decisions on other issues are expected at the upcoming CORONA conference, an annual high-level Air Force leadership summit.
-- Bettina H. Chavanne
September 23, 2008
Pg. 6
The U.S. Air Force has taken a step toward fixing its beleaguered nuclear enterprise, putting forward a number of recommendations at a so-called nuclear summit in Washington, D.C., Sept. 18.
Air Force leadership, including Acting Secretary Michael Donley and Gen. Norton Schwartz, the new chief of staff, met to push ahead with addressing concerns outlined in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Nuclear Weapons Management report unveiled by an OSD-commissioned task force Sept. 16.
One hundred eighty corrective actions, costing up to $1.5 billion, were detailed in the report, including the possibility of redesignating Air Force Space Command as Air Force Strategic Command (AFSTRAT), which would have singular responsibility for the nuclear mission (Aerospace DAILY, Sept. 16).
Among the decisions made at the nuclear summit:
*An expanded Nuclear Weapons Center (NWC) will be responsible for all nuclear sustainment, clearing up previously ambiguous chains of command; and NWC will handle all sustaining activities inside continental U.S. weapon storage areas;
*USAF will establish a stronger, more centralized inspection process built upon common policies and procedures effectively integrated with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA);
*The service will consolidate and expand lead-in and follow-on, mission-specific training within Air Education and Training Command for security personnel assigned to nuclear duties;
* There will be a new Headquarters Air Force (HAF) staff office, split out from the existing HAF office, to provide singular focus on nuclear matters in the armed service’s headquarters.
Final decisions on other issues are expected at the upcoming CORONA conference, an annual high-level Air Force leadership summit.
-- Bettina H. Chavanne