The US Military's Behind-the-Scenes Moves to Protect Nuclear Readiness Amid Coronavirus
William Arkin | Newsweek
The Defense Department shifted many of its domestic bases to “health protection condition” Charlie on Sunday, the latest in a series of moves to protect military forces, families and bases from coronavirus. HPCON Charlie – also known as “substantial threat of sustained community transmission” – is the fourth highest of five levels. Last week, the head of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), Adm. Charles A. “Chas” Richard, said that nuclear readiness was unaffected by coronavirus. The nuclear forces, he said, “remain ready to execute” their war plans despite coronavirus and that the pandemic has had “no impact to our ability” to carry out missions. According to a military tally compiled as of Sunday and reviewed by Newsweek, units feeding STRATCOM have a cumulative 106 uniformed personnel not on duty due to coronavirus, either because of confirmed cases or “protective self-quarantine.”
Pentagon's Major Hypersonic Glide Body Flight Test Deemed Success
Jen Judson | Defense News
The Pentagon made good on its word that it would test a hypersonic glide body in a flight test this year, launching it from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii, on March 19 at 10:30 p.m. local time. The test was deemed a success. The Common-Hypersonic Glide Body, or C-HGB, launched and flew at hypersonic speed to “a designated impact point,” according to a statement issued March 20 by the Department of Defense. The test was a joint effort between the Navy and Army. The C-HGB will be made up of the weapon’s warhead, guidance system, cabling and thermal protection shield. Each service will use the C-HGB as the base while developing individual weapon systems such as launchers capable of firing the weapons from land or sea.
Russia's Northern Fleet Submariners To Test Fire Zircon Hypersonic Missiles
TASS
Submarines of Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet will conduct test firing of hypersonic missiles shortly, Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Alexander Moiseyev said. “In the nearest future, our submarines will begin test-firing hypersonic weapons. We have already received our orders,” he said, speaking to Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper. On March 11, a military-industrial complex source told TASS that the Zircon hypersonic missile is slated for test launch from the Severodvinsk nuclear submarine. Earlier, another source disclosed plans to test-fire this missile from the Kazan submarine, which is expected to be introduced into the Northern Fleet before the end of this year.
North Korea Test Fires Missiles; Seoul Slams It As Inappropriate
Kim Tong-Hyung | AP
North Korea on Saturday fired two presumed short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, South Korea’s military said, as it continues to expand military capabilities amid deadlocked nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration and a crippling global health crisis. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were fired around 6:45 and 6:50 a.m. from an area around the county of Sonchon, western North Korea. They flew 410 kilometers (255 miles) cross-country on an apogee of 50 kilometers (31 miles) before landing in waters off the eastern coast. South Korea and the U.S. were analyzing the launches. Seoul’s military urged the North to immediately stop its “very inappropriate” military demonstrations when the world is struggling to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
Pakistan's Effort to Launch 750km Range Missile Crashes
Shishir Gupta | Hindustan Times
Pakistan’s efforts to build a 750 km range ground-launched cruise missile Babur II have suffered a set-back with the delivery platform crashing to the ground after two minutes or 14 kilometres in flight from the launch point at Sonmiani test range in Balochistan on March 19. According to national security planners and Pakistan watchers, this was the second consecutive test failure of the Babur II sub-sonic missile after the previous test failed on April 10, 2018. Senior officials told Hindustan Times that Pakistan with the help of China is trying to build missile named after first Mughal Emperor Babur to match the 1,000 kilometre range Nirbhay cruise missile being developed by the DRDO. Both the missiles are said to have terrain hugging and sea skimming capabilities with nuclear as well as conventional warhead.
Undisclosed Delays Plague Atomic Programs, Cost Billions to Fix
John Donnelly | Roll Call
The Trump administration wants $3.1 billion more this year than last for the Energy Department's nuclear weapons budget, but internal government documents show the raise is devoted substantially to covering previously undisclosed cost overruns and avoiding years of new delays in the majority of U.S. atomic weapons programs. The administration has sold the 25 percent budget boost for the National Nuclear Security Administration only in broad terms as necessary to maintain America’s nuclear deterrent. However, the additional funds are needed not so much to advance capabilities as merely to keep troubled programs from falling further behind, according to the “official use only” correspondence obtained by CQ Roll Call. Specifically, four of the NNSA’s six highest-profile atomic arms programs would be delayed unless the NNSA gets a record budget of nearly $20 billion in fiscal 2021 and maintains that higher level in the years that follow.