Eight months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as China ramped up its nuclear, space and cyberforce capabilities, the Pentagon on Thursday defended its decision to halt development of a new sea-launched cruise missile.
The decision to phase out the submarine-launched cruise missile comes despite senior military officials wanting it to continue.
And at the same time, the Pentagon also confirmed that it would withdraw the B83-1 gravity bomb – 80 to 100 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.
The background is the war in Ukraine and the fear that Vladimir Putin could be about to use a tactical nuclear weapon or a dirty bomb.
Details were included in the review of the Biden administration’s nuclear stance, published Thursday in its National Defense Strategy.
And Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin defended the decision when questioned by reporters at a briefing whether it sent a message of weakness to Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
“Our stockpile of nuclear weapons is substantial,” he said. “When we looked at our inventory, we realized we didn’t need that capability.
“We have a lot of capacity in our nuclear inventory and I don’t think that sends a message to Putin. He understands what our ability is.’
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Thursday defended the Pentagon’s decision to halt development of a new sea-launched nuclear-armed cruise missile
In 2018, the Trump administration decided to develop a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile, driven in part by the growing threat from Russia
Earlier this year, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley defended the sea-based cruise missile program. He said Biden should have multiple guns at his disposal
In 2018, the Trump administration decided to develop a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile, driven in part by the growing threat from Russia.
It was intended as a low-yield (about 10 kilotons) tactical weapon that would provide American protection to allies.
It was also seen as a way to counter Russia’s violation of other arms deals — a US bargaining chip to bring Moscow back into line.
Earlier this year, however, it was dropped from the administration’s 2023 budget funding request.
The decision was interpreted as a way for President Joe Biden to reduce the US arsenal without sacrificing the strategic elements of the “triad” of ground, air and sea weapons.
But Biden’s senior officer, Gen. Mark Milley, said he would have preferred to keep it because Biden “deserves to have multiple options for dealing with national security situations.”
Republicans also expressed support for the program, which could spark a fight with the Biden administration if they take control of Congress in next month’s interim periods.
The new strategy also signaled that the Department of Defense would phase out the B83-1 gravity bomb, first developed in the 1970s and replaced by the new B61-12.
The new strategy also signaled the cancellation of the B83-1 gravity bomb, developed in the 1970s and replaced by the new B61-12 (seen here in a practice exercise).
The 80-page document is a declassified version of a classified report that has been circulating on Capitol Hill for months.
Austin was also asked about Putin’s claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own soil or fears that he might use a nuclear weapon on the battlefield.
“We have seen nothing to suggest that Putin made a decision to use a dirty bomb, nor have we seen any signs that Ukrainians are planning to do so,” he said.
Ukraine, he added, has said it has no plans to use such a weapon.
“It’s important to make sure we speak to adversaries and allies alike and make sure we quell dangerous conversations,” he said.
And he said the nuclear exercises in Russia did not appear to be a cover for a strike in Ukraine.
“We’re continuing to monitor that and we haven’t seen anything that would lead us to believe at this point it’s some kind of cloaking activity,” he said.
An official who briefed journalists ahead of the report’s release said its strategy reflected the US now faces the dual threat of nuclear-armed Russia and China.
The last strategy, released under President Donald Trump in 2018, marked a shift from fighting extremists to one that had to prepare for war with a major power.
China “poses the most momentous and systemic challenge, while Russia poses an acute threat — both to vital US national interests abroad and at home,” according to the non-classified version of the National Defense Strategy.