
The Pentagon’s newly released nuclear posture review (NPR) reaffirms existing plans to modernize the nation’s aging nuclear arsenal, saying a robust suite of air-, ground- and sea-based systems will be needed to deter attacks by potential adversaries for the foreseeable future.To give the president even more options, the report, released Feb. 2, calls for lowering the yield of some nuclear warheads on existing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). It also recommends developing and fielding a nuclear-armed, submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM). “There is…