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U.S. nuclear deterrent problems

The recent revelations that there are substntial probems in the U.S. nuclear deterrent should not come as a surprise to anyone.

All of this attention to the basic line of U.S. defense is appropriate, even if it is so long overdue.  But what of the other aspects of the devastation caused to America’s national security after years of neglect and extraordinarily poor strategic decisions? Consider these astounding facts:

  • in the early part of this year, President Obama withdrew all American tanks from Europe, for no discernable reason.
  • Starting in January and for at least a quarter year thereafter, there will be no U.S. aircraft carrier on station in the eastern Pacific for the first time since World War II, at a time when tensions have mounted to a boiling point in that area.
  • As Russia, China, North Korea and Iran accelerate their nuclear programs, the White House continues to oppose even a marginally adequate anti-ballistic missile defense system.
  • Despite the growing threat from an EMP attack that could destroy the electronics in all American power plants, resevoirs, transportation assets (including planes, trains, trucks, and cars) and the relatively inexpensive cost to provide such protection, little has been done to address the looming crisis. The problem could also arise from natural causes, such as solar activity.  It happened in the 1850’s, destroying the few electronic devices existing at that time.
  • American facilities to manufacture weapons remains at an inadequate level.  There is, for example, just one plant in the entre USA that can build tanks, and President Obama has sought to close it.
  • If scheduled sequestration cuts to the military remain, the U.S. Army will be smaller than North Korea’s by the end of next year.
  • At a time when China’s espionage has become rampant, President Obama has agreed to steps that ould make it even easier for Beijing’s spies to remain in the U.S.
  • The U.S. Navy is at its smallest level since World War I, despite the fact that Russia and China have both dramatically increased the size and capabilities of their fleets.  Similarly drastic reductions have occurred in the other services, as well.

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In the wake of growing concern over the increasing obsolescence of America’s nuclear arsenal at a time when Russia and China are rapidly and substantially modernizing theirs, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel  announced a series of measures “to increase investment in America’s nuclear deterrent after reviews found evidence of systemic problems in the enterprise.”

The changes follow internal and external reviews after a series of Associated Press stories disclosed significant problems.

According to Hagel,  underfunding and a focus on two wars allowed the status of the nuclear deterrent to degrade. He noted that “The internal and external reviews I ordered show that a consistent lack of investment and support for our nuclear forces over far too many years has left us with too little margin to cope with mounting stresses…The root cause has been a lack of sustained focus, attention and resources, resulting in a pervasive sense that a career in the nuclear enterprise offers too few opportunities for growth and advancement.” The reviews found inadequate communication, follow-up and accountability.

To address the problem, the commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command will now be elevated to a four-sta general, and funding will be increased.The Air Force established a force improvement program for Global Strike Command and reallocated over $160 million in fiscal 2014 and $150 million in fiscal 2015. These will address some of the most urgent shortfalls.

The Navy will be hiring over 2,500 workers to overhaul aging infrastructure. The USAF is planning construction to improve weapons storage facilities, will replace its Vietnam-era helicopters for ballistic missile security forces and is revamping training, evaluations and management of the nuclear force.

“Both services are elevating and reinforcing the nuclear mission, including in the budget request they’re preparing for fiscal year 2016,” Hagel said. “We will need to make billions of dollars of additional investments in the nuclear enterprise over the next five years.” The secretary said the services are looking at a 10 percent increase in funding over five years. Today, the U.S. spends about $15 billion to $16 billion on the nuclear deterrent.

Only the U.S., among all the nuclear powers, has allowed its strategic deterrent to deteriorate. America’s national security is in a desperately poor condition, on land, sea, air and space. The time to address this crisis is short and grower shorter by the hour.

 

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The Election is Over; Now its time to address America’s Crises

The 2014 elections are finally over, and the work of actually resolving America’s many crises must begin.

There is a temptation for the public, the pundits and the politicians alike to say that the nation’s enormous challenges can’t be resolved before the 2016 presidential election, and to accept only minor revisions to the strategies that have resulted in the country’ diminished fortunes over the past several years. But the dire impact of erroneous policies is so significant that delay is unacceptable. Congress must act rapidly, and the President must find the courage and honesty to change course.

The essential linchpin of the American economy is a healthy middle class. A combination of the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, the increased costs to businesses and consumers alike of Obamacare, heightened fuel prices, and the loss of steady jobs has wreaked havoc with this vital group.

Before the next federal budget is passed, action must be taken to lower taxes on middle income families.  Similarly, the various regulations, including Obamacare mandates that have discouraged businesses from growing and expanding their employment rolls must be repealed. This should also include reducing America’s absurdly high corporate tax rate, which encourages businesses to leave the U.S. and take jobs with them.

The U.S. balance of trade continues to see far too many dollars going overseas. It is time to keep those funds at home, where they can be used to spark the domestic economy.  The most rapid way of doing that is making the nation truly energy independent. Lands under federal control must finally be opened for energy exploitation. Also, attempts to limit other energy sources, including coal, must stop. This will also have two other beneficial effects: it will lower the cost of energy, reducing may other consumer and business expenses, and will also limit the enormous funds Russia and ISIS take in from energy sales that are funneled to their militaries.

It is also time to review American trade policies.  Unfair advantages have been given to foreign competitors, who, not subject to a variety of rigorous federal rules, can manufacture far more cheaply than U.S. companies. Goods imported from abroad for sale in the U.S. should be subjected to similar mandates,or be subjected to fees that level the playing field. Further, nations that restrict imports from America should have reciprocal limitations placed on their exports.
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The most imminent threat, one that has reached a level that constitutes a clear, present and immediate danger to the safety of all Americans, is the dramatic deterioration of America’s defense posture during the past several years. The U.S. military had already been slashed to the bone, best symbolized by the Navy’s reduction from 600 ships to 284. Under the severe cuts of the past several years, America has seen force drops reducing our services to levels not seen since before the First World War.  Under current plans, even North Korea will have a larger army than ours. These reductions have taken place at the same time that Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran have dramatically built up both the size and sophistication of their forces.

Further, in an era when nuclear proliferation is a disturbing reality, and when regimes such as Iran and North Korea are on the verge of having both nuclear weapons and the ICBMs with which to use them to attack America, it is irresponsible to not deploy a comprehensive anti-missile policy.

These threats must be addressed in the next federal budget.

The Legislative Branch must reassert its role as a check on the Executive Branch far more vigorously. During the era of the Obama Presidency, federal agencies such as the IRS, the Federal Communications Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Education, and most ominously the Department of Justice have all been used for partisan political gain.  This must cease, and it is within the authority and capability of the newly elected Congress to viably and rapidly address that threat to the American Constitution.

These are crises whose solutions cannot be postponed.