U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel recently announced a pair of important initiatives, one to restore the Defense Department鈥檚 troubled nuclear enterprise to health and another to spur innovation within the department. The two initiatives are necessary, if incomplete, but achieving both goals will difficult.
Hagel鈥檚 proposed overhaul of the Defense Department鈥檚 management of its nuclear weapons enterprise is The U.S. nuclear command鈥檚 core components, besides the actual warheads, include the Air Force鈥檚 nuclear-capable bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and the Navy鈥檚 ballistic missile submarines as well as the supporting infrastructure for the entire system. It also involves intelligence experts for selecting targets and senior military and civilian leaders for policy oversight. Major lapses have been exposed in both the Air Force and Navy components of the nuclear enterprise in recent years, including cheating scandals over preparedness tests and morale problems. Several nuclear bombs were also moved without authorization within the United States, while nuclear weapons components were mistakenly sent to Taiwan. ...