Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told Pentagon reporters Friday that he wants roughly $10 billion over the next five years to help overhaul management of the U.S. nuclear forces.
Mr. Hagel ordered two management reviews in February after scandals involving Navy and Air Force personnel were revealed by The Associated Press. Those reviews concluded the structure of U.S. nuclear forces is incoherent and incapable of being efficiently managed in its current form, sources told AP.
“The root cause has been lack of sustained focus, attention and resources, resulting in a pervasive sense that a career in a nuclear enterprise offers too few opportunities for growth and advancement,” Mr. Hagel said, Reuters reported.
Hans Kristensen, a nuclear expert with the Federation of American Scientists, told AP Thursday he was skeptical that increased funding will solve the Pentagon’s management shortcomings.
“Throwing money after problems may fix some technical issues but it is unlikely to resolve the dissolution that must come from sitting in a silo hole in the Midwest with missiles on high alert to respond to a nuclear attack that is unlikely to ever come,” Mr. Kristensen said.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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