Daily Report

Strategic Arsenal Slowing Shrinking: The US strategic nuclear arsenal continues to gradually come down in size to meet the ceilings imposed by the New START agreement with Russia, according to the two countries' newest data exchange. The United States had 1,722 deployed nuclear warheads, 806 deployed launchers (i.e. heavy bombers, ICBMs, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles), and 1,034 total deployed/non-deployed launchers as of Sept. 1, according to the State Department's fact sheet, released Oct. 3, which highlights the biannual data exchange required by the treaty. Those totals are down slightly compared to the 1,737 warheads, 812 deployed launchers, and 1,040 total deployed/non-deployed launchers as of March 1 in the previous data exchange. New START sets a cap of 1,550 deployed warheads, 700 deployed launchers, and 800 deployed/non-deployed launchers for each party by February 2018. As of Sept. 1, Russia had 1,499 warheads (plus seven compared to the March 1 total), 491 deployed launchers (minus three), and 884 deployed/non-deployed launchers (plus three), according to the fact sheet.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will remain in his position through July 2014, after the North Atlantic Council on Oct. 3 extended his four-year term for another year. In a press briefing in Brussels following the decision, Rasmussen said...

It’s fair for critics to ponder whether the United States, in a time of fiscal austerity and military restructuring, can fulfill the objectives it has set out in its new defense strategy that calls for a “rebalance” of US military...

GEO-1, the Air Force's first Space Based Infrared System geosynchronous orbit satellite, is certified to commence its dedicated operational utility evaluation and operational trial period, announced service space officials. The certification came on Sept. 27, according to the Space and Missile Systems Center's Oct. 3 release. GEO-1, with its advanced infrared sensors, is designed to warn of missile launches and provide additional intelligence for purposes like battlespace awareness. As part of the evaluation, operators will inject live GEO scanner data, for the first time, into the US military's actual operational networks, states the release. The trial period will culminate when US Strategic Command declares that GEO-1 and its associated ground processing elements are operationally proven and accepted. That milestone is expected later this fall, states the release. GEO-1 has been on orbit since May 2011. SBIRS satellites will replace legacy Defense Support Program early warning spacecraft.

A T-53A aircraft sustained damage when it crashed into a hangar upon landing at the Air Force Academy airfield, announced academy officials. Neither of the two crewmembers suffered injuries in the Oct. 1 mishap, but the hangar was also damaged,...

The Air Force Personnel Center at JBSA-Randolph, Tex., is urging eligible airmen to re-enlist or extend their current enlistment through the myPers website by Nov. 15 to avoid processing delays and military pay issues. The Air Force is transferring the...

Members of the Kazakhstan air defense force visited the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., to learn about the base’s flight safety program. During their Sept. 21 visit, they toured the base and got to see F-15E operations...

Top maintainers in the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., have the chance to pilot the aircraft they work so hard to upkeep, the B-52H, in a flight simulator thanks to a new program. “There is no formal training...

The 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale AFB, La., is now called the Barksdale Global Power Museum after a rededication ceremony on Oct. 2. The new name is part of the museum’s rebranding to broaden its scope. “The decision to...