America’s Aging Nuclear Deterrent

AMERICA’S AGING NUCLEAR DETERRENT

By: Tyler Callese

Current Stockpile

Two Categories Strategic Tactical

Strategic Stockpile

1,050 land-based delivered by the Minuteman ICBM

Length: 59.9 ftWeight: 80,000 lbs.Range: 6000 MilesSpeed: 15,000 MPHDate end o f P roduc t ion : December 1978

Strategic Stockpile

1,955 Air-based warheads carried by B-52, B-1B, and B-2 Bombers

B-52 Bomber w/ Full ArmamentNuclear Armament- Mk-53 nuclear

Warhead Yield: 52 MTLast Produced- June 1965

B-1B Bomber

Nuclear Armament-B-83 Yield: Variable Low Kiloton to 1.2 MT

Last Produced: 1991

B-2 Bomber

Nuclear Armament:B-61

Last Produced: 1968

Strategic Stockpile Cont.

2,016 Sea-based warheads carried on Ohio Class Subs

W-76 Sea-Launched Ballistic Missile Last Produced July1987

Tactical Stockpile

100 Tomahawk Cruise Missiles W-80-1 Nuclear Advanced Cruise Missile

Warhead Last Produced: August 1990

Tactical Stockpile cont.

B61 Surface to Surface Cruise Missile Range- 250 Miles W-5 Nuclear Warhead Last Produced: July 1963

What’s the Problem?

These weapons are the only thing protecting our country from a nuclear holocaust. Do you trust your life to a 30 year old bomb with as much technology as a calculator today?

= =

State of America’s Nuclear Arsenal Aging, almost primitive weapons No means to manufacture new

weapons should the need arise No young Ph.D.’s to replace the old

and retiring nuclear engineers who built the earlier bombs

AND THE BIGGEST REASON…

A DETERRENT IS CREDIBLE ONLY IF THE ENEMIES BELIEVE IT WILL WORK, THAT MEANS MODERNIZATION.

WHAT THE OTHER NUCLEAR POWERS ARE DOING CONCERNING MODERNIZATION

Russia

Developing new land and sea-based missiles

Maintaining abiltity to manufacture warheads

Building new missile defense shield

Russia’s nuclear arsenal

China

Developing new land, sea, and air based missiles

Maintains ability to manufacture new warheads

Chinese Nuclear Bombs

America…

Obama supports decreasing nuclear stockpile

This is fine if and only if: America pursues a modernization

program so as the reliability of the missiles offsets the number

The Two Options for America

Modernization- Renovation of

nuclear deterrent- New nuclear

research iniatives

Life Extension Program

- Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program

- Make Component Modifications as needed to maintain first strike capability

Final Thought

No matter what, America must do something. America cannot sit by and watch allow other countries to gain an edge over us.

Current: There is currently a Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States in session. The final report will be issued in later this year and will address this problem.