March 17, 2014

NEW STRATCOM NOM VOICES OPPOSITION TO UNILATERAL NUCLEAR CUTS

By ExchangeMonitor

Adm. Cecil Haney, the Obama Administration’s pick to be the next commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said during his confirmation hearing yesterday that he supports efforts to modernize the nation’s nuclear arsenal and weapons complex and said he would oppose unilateral reductions to the nuclear arsenal. President Obama in June outlined a plan to reduce the size of the nation’s strategic deployed nuclear arsenal by one-third, from the 1,550-warhead cap established by the New START Treaty to about 1,000 weapons. Republicans have questioned the plan, especially raising concerns about the possibility that the Obama Administration could seek the reductions without corresponding cuts by Russia, and Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) pressed Haney about the potential for nuclear reductions as he appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday. “My advice would be that we negotiate a bilateral agreement that also has verifiable components to it, so that we can ensure that the said reduction would work,” Haney told the panel.

His endorsement of efforts to modernize the nation’s nuclear stockpile also included backing for the B61 refurbishment, which has come under fire over the last year as the proposed cost of the life extension program has ballooned—to as much as $10 billion according to one Pentagon estimate. Under questioning from Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Haney committed to try to rein in the costs of the refurbishment. “We will be at risk if we do not support it because through its modernization it also reduces the number of other nuclear weapons that we have today and brings it down to one type model series for nuclear surety,” he said. It’s necessary “In order to have a safe, secure platform for our use, but particularly in terms of the tactical nukes associated with our DCA program,” he added.

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