The nuclear weapons ban treaty proposed by the United Nations is “just not realistic,” Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti told Congress Tuesday. In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, the commander of US forces in Europe said that North Korea’s nuclear activities are repeatedly in “violation of UN sanctions and resolutions” and that Russia is “aggressively improving their modernization of their nuclear weapons.” In such a global security environment, the US cannot consider giving up its nuclear deterrent, though he said “it’s something we would all like to see.” His comments came the day after US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told repo?rters that the US would join nearly 40 other countries, including Britain and France, who are not attending talks on the nuclear weapons ban treaty at the UN this week.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
