Mattis Enthusiastic on ICBMs, Tepid on Nuclear Cruise Missile
By: Aaron Mehta, January 12, 2017 (Photo Credit: J.T. Armstrong/US Air Force)
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of defense believes the US needs to maintain its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program, but showed a willingness to consider whether developing a new nuclear cruise missile is the right path forward.
Retired Gen. Jim Mattis made his comments as part of his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he was asked whether he would continue to support the nuclear triad modernization strategy pursued by the Obama administration.
“I consider the deterrent to be critical,” Mattis said during his testimony, “because we don’t ever want those weapons used. So either the deterrent is safe and secure, it is compelling, or we actually open the door for something worse, whether it be a technical accident or political accident. So to me it’s an absolute priority.”
http://www.defensenews.com/articles/mattis-enthusiastic-on-icbms-tepid-on-nuclear-cruise-missile
