During recent confirmation hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee, General Anthony Cotton made it clear, that he does not agree with the plans of the presidential administration to cancel the SLCM-N sea-launched cruise missile program with a nuclear warhead.
When it comes to SLCM-N, i have to admit, that I would like to be able to do the same, like my predecessors, before judging it— Cotton said, who, as head of the Air Force Global Strike Command, oversees two branches of the nuclear triad, namely, strategic bombers and land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles. Sea-based nuclear weapons are still outside its competence.
Pentagon officials announced the cancellation of the SLCM-N program in March 2022, stated, that the decision was made on the basis of the results of the Presidential Administration's Nuclear Posture Review. Then lawmakers were given a secret version of NPR.
A few months later, senior officers, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, Vice Chairman Admiral Christopher Grady and Admiral Charles Richard, current commander of STRATCOM, told legislators, that they do not agree with this decision of the White House and the civilian leadership of the Pentagon.
My opinion is, that this president, or any other president, deserves, to have multiple options for dealing with national security issues, Mark Milley told lawmakers in April, just a few days after, how Richard wrote the note, which stated, that "there is a gap in deterrence and safeguards" without the implementation of the SLCM-N program.
The other day Cotton admitted, what, like Millie, Grady and Richard, he considers, that there is a capacity gap, caused by Russia's development of low-yield nuclear weapons. What he doesn't know, so this is that, is SLCM-N the best option to deal with such threats, he said.
According to him, one of its top priorities will be to ensure that, for the United States to have a nuclear strategy, capable of competing with Russia, same with China. Historically, US nuclear strategy has focused on one major adversary., but also Russia, and China have created and are developing their nuclear triads and continue to invest in nuclear modernization. In this regard, the American generals are trying to insist that, so that the SLCM-N sea-based cruise missile program is not completely phased out. Author:The same Mikhail
