The Obama Administration will reveal the exact composition of the Triad—how many bombers vs. ICBMs vs. SLBMs—with submission of the New START treaty to Congress, “hopefully in the next several weeks,” James Miller, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, told the Senate Armed Services Committee at an April 22 hearing on the nuclear posture review. He said it would be “a recommended base line force structure” that, per the new treaty conditions, “could be modified later” to adjust one or more legs of the Triad without increasing the overall number of 700 strategic delivery vehicles specified by the treaty. Miller noted, too, that the Pentagon “conducted extensive analysis” of various force structures during the NPR and concluded “there were a range of possible outcomes that would … meet the requirements for US Strategic Command.” (Also see Miller’s written testimony and New START Signed)
“Military history shows that the best defense is almost always a maneuvering offense supported by solid logistics. This was true for mechanized land warfare, air combat, and naval operations since World War II. It will also be true as the world veers closer to military conflict in space,” writes Aidan…