
The secretary of defense said Tuesday a likely outlook for flat budgets in coming years will lead the department to prioritize moving on from legacy programs to ensure funding for its full range of modernization commitments. Secretary Mark Esper told reporters the Pentagon would not “risk the strategic deterrent,” affirming nuclear capability modernization as the department’s top priority. “Frankly, my inclination is not to risk any of the modernization programs. It’s to go back and pull out more of the…