Two B-52Hs from Minot AFB heading East disappeared from tracking radars as they crossed into Canadian airspace over Lake Superior. Another Middle East mission? Both aircraft (60-0026 and 61-0006) are among the 46 B-52Hs that are nuclear-capable.
One of them briefly reappeared on the radar north of Ottawa heading south toward US border. So this appears to be part of an exercise over North America. There has been some amazing tanker operations tonight.
: First into Baltic, then down over Eastern Europe to Missile East. Probably joining other B-52s in Qatar.
Ha, “Missile East.” That should of course be Middle East. Good pun, though! 😄
Passing over western Crete right now.
Hard left turn over Crete, heading straight east. Will probably pass over Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia into Qatar. As I mentioned earlier, these two (60-0026 and 61-0006) are nuclear-capable types, but not carrying any nukes.
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1/n Wow: New report from @USGAO concludes: "every nuclear triad replacement program - including the B-21, LRSO, GBSD, and Columbia class submarine, and every ongoing bomb and warhead modernization program- faces the prospect of delays…” gao.gov/assets/gao-21-…
@USGAO 2/n These risks are not just about existing systems getting old but also about DOD/DOE planning overly aggressive timelines, workload from several concurring systems, and immature technologies.
3/n Check this out: Because of a requirement to have 400 ICBMs on alert, the Air Force "will be largely constrained to fielding GBSD into the 50 launch facilities with silos that are maintained empty” under New START!
@mattkorda One of the most surprising bits is the statement that "China probably maintains an operational nuclear warhead stockpile in the low-200s.” That’s less than the 290 we had at the end of 2019 (the data point for the DOD report). Possible reason: the term “operational."
Another surprise is 200 DF-26 IRBMs. Thast’s up from 80 last year! How is that even possible? Doesn’t fit the visible force structure. @dex_eve will have more to say about that.
Why are people who have been fighting arms control for decades suddenly so eager to advocate it?
This “thoughtful article” praised by Billingslea proposes to ban mobile ICBMs. That would eliminate 80% of Chinese and 60% of Russian ICBMs. US doesn’t have mobile ICBMs.
Don’t get me wrong, the article raises many important issues that a future treaty would have to consider. But in comparing START and New START verfication, the article skips over the W Bush administration’s 2002 Moscow Treaty, which did not have a verification regime.
The point that New START does not cover non-deployed warheads is of course relevant, but neither did START. In fact, it was under START that the US developed its “hedge” of what was later called the “responsive stockpile” of non-deployed warheads that could be uploaded.
An extraordinary resource. Kudos for continuing this document! @DeptofDefense
@DeptofDefense Unlike previous versions, the 2020 Nuclear Matters Handbook is healy colored by Trump's Nuclear Posture Review. Among other things, the Handbook declares the era of "sustainment of Cold War legacy deterrent in the absence of underground nuclear testing” to be over.
@DeptofDefense Also significant changes in modernization programs for the United States compared with the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review.
Also curious omissions/additions to Russia and China.
US Denmark ambassador pressured Danish think tank to disinvite Trump critic Stanley Sloan @srs2_ from NATO 70 year celebration. buzzfeednews.com/article/miriam… Ambassador Carla Sands had no displomatic experience when Trump appointed her but she paid handsomely to his election campaign.
.@srs2_ : “I now am told it is a new policy: no speakers to be sponsored by the State Department if they have been critical of the President.”