Trump administration to seek $20 billion to upgrade nuclear weapons

(January 29)Donald Trump the US president will seek a 20 percent budget increase bringing the budget for the National Nuclear Security Administration(NNSA) to $20 billion. The NNSA maintains US nuclear weapons.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, Jim Inhofe, a Republican representing Oklahoma confirmed on Tuesday that Trump would ask for $20 billion.

The internal struggle

The head of the NNSA Lisa Gordon-Hagerty had argued internally for boosting the funds for nuclear weapons modernization in fiscal 2021. This position to ask for $20 billion or a 20 percent raise over 2020, was backed by Inhofe plus other Republicans in Congress. However, the request had been scaled back to $17.5 billion after opposition by White House budget officials and Dan Brouillete, whose department oversees the NNSA. However Inhofe claimed Tuesday that Brouillete and other opponents had been overruled in the Trump administration decision.

After leaving a meeting with Brouillete on Capitol Hill Inhofe said: “The resolution is: I won, you lost. I think we’re going to be right back where we wanted to be in their budget. We just need to start modernizing and catch up with Russia.”

The Congressional Budget Office claims that modernizing the US nuclear arsenal would cost more than $1.2 trillion over three decades. Inhofe justifies the US program by pointing to the threat of Russian and Chinese programs to develop their nuclear capabilities. He suggested that the US in contrast has been neglecting its own nuclear arsenal.

The NNSA is part of the Department of Energy (DOE). Shaylyn Hynes spokesperson for the US Energy Department confirmed that both Inhofe and Brouillete had discussed the NNSA budget request in a meeting described as positive and productive. Hynes said: "The Secretary looks forward to working closely with the Chairman and others as Congress works to pass a final budget that ensures continued American dominance in nuclear safety and security." When asked for comments the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) did not reply.

[b]A proposed alternative to the existing system[/b]

The existing system consists of a triad of submarines, bombers, and intercontinental ballistic missiles. This is a very expensive system to maintain. [url=https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2019/03/22/fight-over-americas-nuclear-arsenal-heats-up-in-congress/ t=_blank]Some argue that the US could spend less and still be secure: "Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., supports nuclear modernization but argues that America can spend less and still deter its foes. He’s called for America to adopt a no-first-use policy for nuclear arms and opposed both the Obama-era Long-Range Standoff Weapon and the Trump administration’s low-yield W76-2 warhead. Smith hosted a March 6 hearing with outside experts at which Bruce Blair, a former U.S. missile-launch officer and now a nuclear security expert at Princeton University, said the nation could maintain “a fully adequate deterrent threat” with a monad of five Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarines — rather than the established triad of submarines, bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles."

The NNSA

The NNSA is described by Wikipedia as follows: "The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear explosive testing; works to reduce the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the United States Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad. Established by the United States Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the United States Department of Energy. It is led by Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, who was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 16, 2018."

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Trump administration suspends all delivery of weapons to Iraq

(January 29)The Trump Administration has suspended delivery of all weapons to Iraq. This includes the delivery of Sidewinder and Maverick missiles that were part of a $1.8 billion contract that had been signed in 2016.

There have been no recent deliveries

The last delivery was weapons was back in November. Perhaps the Trump administration had already paused delivery and is now just making a suspension official. A US Air Force spokesperson confirmed the pause and suggested it was due to security concerns. Iraq has not commented on the matter.

The US may worry some missiles may be used against the US

There is growing tension between the US and Iraq especially since the US assassinated key Iranian commander Soleimani in Baghdad. There has been a resolution in the Iraqi parliament passed 170 to 0 demanding that all foreign troops leave Iraq. There have been many protests and some attacks against US bases and the US embassy in Iraq.

The US has threatened sanctions against Iraq if they are forced to leave. Military aid cuts are also planned.

There have been a number of strikes against Iraqi government approved and financed militia especially in western Iraq. Israel and the US are suspected of being behind these strikes. The US naturally does not want Iraq to gain control of its own airspace as that could result in losses for the US and Israel. Hence, the US has a keen interest in limiting the number of missiles that Iraq has for its F-16s.

A recent article notes: "The halt includes the US Air Force’s program of supplying parts and missiles to Iraq’s fleet of F-16 fighter-bombers, the news portal Inside Defense reported on Monday. Deliveries will begin again “when the environment in Iraq is safe enough to resume,” USAF spokesman Brian Brackens told Inside Defense in an email."The US and probably Israel have been carrying out operations over Iraqi airspace without the consent of the Iraqi government. This was the case in the assassination of Soleimani in Baghdad where the US mounted a drone attack assassinating Soleimani near the Baghdad airport. Israeli intelligence may have been involved.

It is not clear why the US is also withholding ground attack weapons. These are used extensively in attacking ISIS. Perhaps the US wants to make Iraq more dependent on the US in the continual containment of ISIS that appears to be in survival mode at present. Perhaps, the US wants to make Iraq more dependent on US forces to keep ISIS under control. No doubt US want to remain in Iraq to counter Iranian influence. However, most Iraqis are unlikely to see this as a legitimate reason for the US to stay once the ISIS threat is gone. However, the US can argue that Iraq needs help to ensure that the threat of ISIS is kept under control.

The US claims it has no intention of withdrawing troops from Iraq. If it does so, it appears the withdrawal will be only upon terms dictated by the US: "There are no plans by the US military to withdraw from Iraq,” Assistant to the Secretary of Defense Jonathan Rath Hoffman told reporters at a press briefing earlier this month, adding that “the consensus in Iraq seems to be that the United States forces there are a force for good,” even though the parliament’s resolution suggests the exact opposite"

Previously published in the Digital Journal