President Joe Biden will nominate Lt. Gen. Anthony J. Cotton to take over as the next commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. If confirmed, Cotton, currently AFGSC’s deputy commander, would replace retiring Gen. Timothy M. Ray, who has led the command since 2018. Cotton, ...
After some lawmakers questioned the need for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program, top Defense Department leaders said June 23 that its future will depend on a review of the military’s nuclear posture. The Pentagon is asking for $1.1 billion to fund the GBSD program ...
As the Air Force transitions its nuclear missile force from the Minuteman III to the GBSD, it will have to balance legacy systems with modernization.
Plans to upgrade facilities for the new Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent program remain "on the path" to stay on budget as the Minuteman III replacement's development progresses, Air Force Lt. Gen. Warren D. Berry told a Senate subcommittee June 16. "GBSD, where you're essentially going to ...
The first Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent missile will fly by the end of 2023, and not a moment too soon, as the Minuteman III ICBM is becoming increasingly costly and challenging to keep credible, strategic system managers and commanders said during an AFA virtual forum. They ...
A year after submitting its smallest military construction budget in a half-decade, the Department of the Air Force submitted a 2022 budget request that marked a return to years past—and a substantial increase overall. The 2022 figure of roughly $2.8 billion marks a 75 percent ...
The success of the B-21 program so far is due to its modular approach and incremental changes to its technology, not its requirements, Air Force Global Strike Command head Gen. Timothy M. Ray said. “We’ve codified the approach … of open mission systems [and] modularity ...
The Department of the Air Force is asking for $212.8 billion in fiscal 2022, of which the Air Force gets $156.3 billion, the Space Force $17.4 billion, with the rest referred to as "pass-through" funding not controlled by the department. The budget request focuses on ...
Top Department of the Air Force leaders told lawmakers May 7 they need to divest aging aircraft to make room for more advanced systems, setting up a now familiar budget fight on Capitol Hill. “America cannot wait to modernize the Air Force any longer, not ...
With upcoming budget deliberations and an expected Nuclear Posture Review, Air Force and U.S. Strategic Command leaders are making the case that the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent is a critical program and is actually cheaper than extending the life of the aging Minuteman III. Other modernization ...
As the new administration and Congress prepare. to take a critical look at the nuclear triad and overall need for nuclear modernization, the head of U.S. Strategic Command warned lawmakers that a reduction in the overall force could mean a return to Cold War norms. ...
Northrop Grumman successfully completed the integrated baseline review for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program, which is on track for initial operational capability by 2029. The integrated baseline review sets the cost and schedule baseline, identifies risk, and ensures there are mitigation plans ready for ...