Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that a review of the Defense Department‘s nuclear posture is underway to help identify options to maintain U.S. strategic deterrence, DoD News reported Thursday.
Selva told audience at a forum held Thursday at the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute the review will look into a range of measures such as conservative strategic approaches and radical new methods.
He added reviewers will offer recommendations to President Donald Trump on potential ways to maintain the nuclear triad, which includes bomber aircraft, intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles.
The replacement of the entire nuclear enterprise — including the B-52 bombers, Ohio-class submarines and Minuteman III ICBMs — would require the U.S. government to increase spending on nuclear deterrence from 3.5 percent of the defense budget to 6 percent, according to Selva.
