The U.S. Air Force must modernize its aging arsenal of B-61 and B-83 thermonuclear freefall bombs if the nation is to maintain its deterrence, especially against emerging atomic powers, service officials said. But the weapons are funded partly by the Department of Energy and partly by the Pentagon, which has complicated modernization efforts. Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on Nov. 2, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz made an appeal for that panel to ask the Department of Energy to modernize the B-61 bomb, which makes up the preponderance of the U.S. aircraft-dropped tactical nuclear arsenal.
Center for Strategic Budgetary Assessments analyst Mark Gunzinger, a former B-52 pilot, applauded the Air Force's move, saying the effort to modernize the two weapons "needs all the support it can get, frankly."The consequences of not modernizing the nuclear arsenal are dire/…/
As the number of U.S. nuclear weapons declines, the nation may not be able to deter emerging regional nuclear powers, Gunzinger said.States like North Korea, Iran and Syria pose serious challenges, he said. "If you look at the trend, it is toward more states developing nuclear weapons, not fewer."
The increasing number of nuclear states suggests that there is an increased need for the U.S. to maintain all three legs of the nuclear triad, Gunzinger said. "This is an issue that needs to be studied before we drop to below New START levels," he said. The New START treaty, signed in 2010, calls for the U.S. and Russia to maintain no more than 700 launch platforms and 1,550 deployed weapons.
Gunzinger applauded the Air Force's decision to incorporate the B-61 into the F-35. "That will maintain our extended deterrence commitments not just in Europe but in the region," he said.A nuclear-armed F-35 would be an effective deterrent against Iran, Gunzinger said.