Air Force can’t keep nuclear bombers on 24-hour alert, top general says
A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 155th Air Refueling Wing refuels a B-52 Stratofortress May 3, 2017 at the 155th Air Refueling Wing, Lincoln, Nebraska. (U.S. Air Force photo taken by Airman 1st Class Jamie Titus/ Released)
April 23, 2021 Ryan Morgan
The U.S. Air Force is considering a plan to put part of its nuclear bomber fleet on 24-hour alert status to fill the gap left by the aging U.S. nuclear missile arsenal, but one top general is warning that plan isn’t sustainable and could exhaust the force.
During a Mitchell Institute virtual event on Thursday, Air Force Lt. Gen. James Dawkins, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, said putting the U.S. bomber fleet on 24-hour alert can’t “be done forever.â€
Asked what would happen if the nuclear triad was just reduced to a nuclear duo of just air and sea-based nuclear weapons, Dawkins said, in extreme conditions, the Air Force could keep its bomber fleet on alert for a long period of time “but at some point at some time period we are going to basically exhaust the force and we cannot do this steady state, we cannot do this forever.â€
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/04/air-force-cant-keep-nuclear-bombers-on-24-hour-alert-top-general-says/
