Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein, the deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, speaks about the importance of modernizing the Air Force’s nuclear mission during an Air Force Association breakfast July 21, 2016, in Arlington, Va. According to Weinstein, as long as the world has nuclear weapons, no mission in the U.S. will be greater than the country’s maintenance of its nuclear capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alyssa C. Gibson)National security requires modernized nuclear deterrence
                        
                        
                        Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein, the deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, speaks about the importance of modernizing the Air Force’s nuclear mission during an Air Force Association breakfast July 21, 2016, in Arlington, Va. According to Weinstein, as long as the world has nuclear weapons, no mission in the U.S. will be greater than the country’s maintenance of its nuclear capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alyssa C. Gibson)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein, the deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, speaks about the importance of modernizing the Air Force’s nuclear mission during an Air Force Association breakfast July 21, 2016, in Arlington, Va. According to Weinstein, as long as the world has nuclear weapons, no mission in the U.S. will be greater than the country’s maintenance of its nuclear capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alyssa C. Gibson)National security requires modernized nuclear deterrence
                        
                        
                        Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein, the deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, speaks about the importance of modernizing the Air Force’s nuclear mission during an Air Force Association breakfast July 21, 2016, in Arlington, Va. According to Weinstein, as long as the world has nuclear weapons, no mission in the U.S. will be greater than the country’s maintenance of its nuclear capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alyssa C. Gibson)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

National security requires modernized nuclear deterrencePublished July 25, 2016
                    
                    By Tech. Sgt. Joshua L. DeMotts
                    
                    
                    Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Command Information
            **WASHINGTON (AFNS) --**The Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration stressed the importance of nuclear deterrence and the need for nuclear modernization July 21 at an Air Force Association breakfast at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein argued the importance of developing new weapons systems and modernizing existing capabilities to nurture a strong and capable nuclear deterrent force capable of discouraging adversaries and building allies.Weinstein commended Airmen, who shoulder the responsibility of two-thirds of the nation’s nuclear triad, for maintaining the safety, security and effectiveness of the Air Force’s nuclear enterprise while working around the clock in extreme temperatures at bases in Louisiana and North Dakota.“At the heart of each weapon system is our Air Force’s most important element: the Airmen,” Weinstein said. “We could not do our mission without the dedication, determination and drive our Airmen give every day, and I cannot say enough about them or thank them adequately.”Focusing on the need to modernize the nuclear enterprise, Weinstein reflected on the underlying reason for America’s nuclear deterrence posture, citing a number of historical statistics from both world wars and the advent of the nuclear age. Successfully supporting the idea that as long as nuclear weapons exist around the world, Weinstein said there will be no mission more important than maintaining the U.S.’s nuclear capability, not only for its security, but to assure the nation’s allies.But, Weinstein argued, the nuclear enterprise has not been modernized since the 1980s. According to Weinstein, the Air Force currently spends around 3 percent of the Defense Department’s budget on the nuclear enterprise, and that number will only go up to 7 percent at the peak of modernization in the 2020s before returning to a normal level.“Major powers have not fought each other in over 60 years,” Weinstein said. “Though we have fought small wars and regional conflicts, the percentage of the world’s population impacted by these conflicts pales in comparison from the turn of the 20th century until 1945. I contend nuclear deterrence is a factor in this refrain from massive conflicts.”Weinstein said despite the nation’s current fiscal environment, a lot of difficult decisions must be made about budget priorities, and 21st century deterrence and assurance will demand persistent and focused efforts. Speaking rhetorically, Weinstein asked if the U.S. needed its nuclear weapons and if they needed to be modernized. The answer, he said, is a resounding “yes” to modernizing the nation’s nuclear enterprise.“No one in this room knows what the future holds,” Weinstein said. “History has shown us that we will continue to face enemies and there will continue to be people who wish to do us harm.”AFA 



nuclear deterrence Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil