Nuclear Weapons Agency Gets 11 Percent Funding Increase in FY18 Budget Request
Aaron Mehta | Defense News
The government agency in charge of upkeep and modernization of America’s nuclear warheads is in line for a big funding boost, thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2018 budget request. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a quasi-independent entity within the Department of Energy, is marked for $13.9 billion, an increase of $1 billion — or 7.8 percent — above the FY17 Omnibus level.
Ahead of Ballistic Missile Defense Review, MDA’s FY18 Plans Show Flexibility
Jen Judson | Defense News
The Ballistic Missile Defense Review ordered this month by Defense Secretary James Mattis won’t wrap up until the end of the year but the Missile Defense Agency’s fiscal year 2018 budget request shows signs of flexibility ahead of the reviews findings. MDA is requesting $7.9 billion in FY18, an increase of $379 million from the FY17 request, according to budget documents released Tuesday.
Trump Revealed Submarine Locations to Philippines President
Ellen Mitchell | Hill
A call transcript between President Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reveals that Trump boasted about two U.S. nuclear submarines near North Korea. Trump, who spoke by phone with Duterte on April 29, addressed the possibility of a strike on North Korea using the submarines. A transcript of the conversation was published by The Intercept.
Launch of The Second Satellite of the EKS Early-Warning System
Russian Forces
On May 25, 2017 at 09:33:41 MSK (06:33:41 UTC), the Air and Space Forces successfully launched a Soyuz-2.1b launcher from the launch pad No. 4 of the launch complex No. 43 of the Plesetsk site. Press reports quote official statement as saying the launcher carried "a new-generation satellite for the ministry of defense." The satellite is being delivered to the orbit by a Fregat-M booster.
North Korea’s New Hwasong-12 Missile
John Schilling | 38 North
By now, we have at least learned the name of the new missile North Korea tested on May 14: the Hwasong-12. We also have photos of the launch, as we have come to expect from the North following a successful high-profile missile test. Those photos provide us with some information about this new missile but still leave us uncertain about key technical issues and particularly whether or not this test advanced North Korea’s worrying intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program.
America May Have to Accept Nuclear-Armed North Korea as Military Strike Too Risky, Says Former U.S. Admiral
Chow Chung-yan | South China Morning Post
A former US director of national intelligence has warned against using military means to solve the North Korea nuclear crisis, saying that Washington may have to live with Pyongyang’s weapons programme. North Korea has defied all diplomatic efforts to stop its nuclear and missile programmes, and many in Washington are worried that US President Donald Trump may resort to a military solution. Sixty-four democratic lawmakers reminded the president in a joint letter on Tuesday that he would need congressional approval for any pre-emptive military strike.