Defense chief Chuck Hagel calls for renewed focus on nation’s nukes

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By Joseph Morton

KINGS BAY, Ga. — After being distracted by years of war, the U.S. military needs to turn its attention back to its nuclear mission, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel suggested Wednesday during a swing through military facilities in the Southeast.

“I think over the years we’ve let our focus on the nuclear deterrence aspect of our national security drift a little,” Hagel said.

The former Republican senator from Nebraska made his remarks during an “all hands call” at Kings Bay’s naval submarine base in Georgia. That base is home to six Ohio-class submarines carrying ballistic missiles.

Speaking to an auditorium of officers and enlisted personnel charged with carrying out the nuclear mission, Hagel indicated that significant changes could be coming soon as a result of just-completed internal and external reviews of those responsible for America’s most powerful weapons.

FULL story at link.



THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel


Read more: http://www.omaha.com/news/military/defense-chief-chuck-hagel-calls-for-renewed-focus-on-nation/article_c3a30d3c-8cf5-5329-89ae-26d1d070d34c.html

[KG]

1. not this shit again...

[Bluenorthwest]

2. Hagel is and always has been a Republican

He voted for the Iraq War Resolution, in spite of his current claim that he oppose that war, he voted for that war and for every war or conflict he was ever asked to vote for.

[Crowman1979]

3. How about a renewed focus on disarming those nukes?

But that would be logical, and the DoD doesn't like that.

[Amonester]

4. Sigh... In the words of the late George Carlin...

"The planet isn't going anywhere, folks. WE are!"

Yep. Indeed. Nothing can even just begin to change that truth.

[TwilightGardener]

5. Judging by the negative responses above, I guess everyone is cool

with nuclear officers cheating on tests, selling drugs, failing inspections, and just generally being disgruntled or disinterested in their missions. I'm glad the Pentagon isn't. The world kind of depends on these people doing their jobs perfectly.

[onehandle]

6. I'm more worried about Russian nukes.

If President Reagan had any balls, a condition of keeping the USSR from starving after they fell should have been SURRENDER YOUR NUKES.

[FailureToCommunicate]

8. Much progress HAS been made. In 1991, under Bush I, the Nunn-Lugar threat reduction bill...

(Senator Nunn and Senator Richard Lugar) initiated a modest, bipartisan, $400-million-a-year program of investment in securing Russian nuclear weapons and materials.

As of this report from 2011, nearly 92% of 'loose nuke' material and sites had been secured:
http://nnsa.energy.gov/mediaroom/factsheets/protectioncontrolaccounting

more here:
http://www.cfr.org/arms-control-disarmament-and-nonproliferation/global-nuclear-nonproliferation-regime/p18984

"The Obama administration brought additional attention to this issue, pledging to secure all vulnerable nuclear weapons materials by 2014 and convening a high-level global nuclear security summits in 2010 and 2012. The 2010 summit yielded tangible results, with Ukraine announcing that it would get rid of all its Soviet-era highly enriched uranium, and five other countries stating intentions to convert their research reactors to run on low-enriched uranium, which is less dangerous. The next global nuclear security summit is planned for 2014 and will take place in the Netherlands."

Pres. Reagan projected a outward bluster of tough stands, and greatly re-ignighted the Cold war and nuke insecurity. He had nothing to do with ending the Cold War for which many falsely give him credit.

[FailureToCommunicate]

7. Securing OUR loose nukes is a good thing. There is no excuse for the lapses in security at our bases

From the article:

"Hagel ordered the reviews of the nuclear forces earlier this year after a string of scandals: incidents that involved lapses in security, cheating on tests and other failures."

We've spent at lot over the past few years quietly securing nukes among the former Soviet republics. Hagel is asking that we refocus on what is troubling about our own nuclear security measures.

If you think that 'we're fine, it the Russians we need to worry about', please take the trouble to seek out and watch the film Countdown to Zero" It'll change your mind (as well as giving you nightmares).




Thanks, Omaha Steve, for posting this.