The lack of an established budget is the biggest obstacle to executing a “smart plan” for sustaining US nuclear deterrent assets, said retired Gen. Larry Welch, senior fellow at the Institute for Defense Analyses and former Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Speaking during a June 14 Capitol Hill speech sponsored by AFA, the National Defense Industrial Association, and the Reserve Officers Association, Welch referred to the budget uncertainty as a “showstopper.” The primary job of the US nuclear plan—including fielding and sustaining nuclear-capable bombers, submarines, and ICBMs—is to deter the use of nuclear weapons. That requires investment and resources, he added. But despite the financial ambiguity, Welch said several government agencies, such as the Air Force, Navy, and National Nuclear Security Administration, have demonstrated an “unprecedented level of cooperation” in extending the life expectancy of US nuclear assets thus far—one example, recycling 40-year old nuclear components. They have been “enormously innovated” in discovering ways to extend the limitations currently facing the nuclear complex, he said.
New Budget Deal Could Cost USAF Up to $14 Billion
March 12, 2025
The Air Force would suffer the loss of billions of dollars of buying power under a yearlong Continuing Resolution, only somewhat mitigated by proposals that would allow it to pursue new starts, Lt. Gen. Adrian Spain, deputy chief of staff for operations, told the readiness subcommittee of the Senate Armed…