The joint nuclear operations doctrine that was posted in draft form on the Joint Chiefs of Staff Web page did not change the fundamentals on use of nuclear weapons, Myers told reporters. (See DR, 9/14/05) It is “not at all true,” said Myers, that this draft doctrine, undergoing a routine updating, “somehow lowers the nuclear threshold.” And, he said, the draft was only “out for coordination at the lieutenant colonel/colonel level.” Myers added, it’s already “been modified.”
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.