The end of the Cold War has done nothing to ease the debate over nuclear weapons and nuclear strategy, concludes the Defense Science Board in its Nuclear Capabilities report summary released last month. Tasked to assess current and future capabilities, the DSB finds no consensus on the need for nuclear weapons, although “most Americans” agree the US must maintain a deterrent to counter possible threats. “Entrenched views” leave room for “little genuine debate,” states the report. Meanwhile, the highly respected DSB believes “current deficiencies in the nuclear weapons complex are already resulting in triage among demands to sustain a healthy nuclear enterprise.”
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.