Sustaining the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Mission
Sustaining the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Mission
Don Snyder
Sarah A. Nowak
Mahyar A. Amouzegar
Julie Kim
Richard Mesic
Copyright Date: 2013
Published by: RAND Corporation
Pages: 36
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7249/j.ctt5hhsph
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Book Info
Sustaining the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Mission
Book Description:

The U.S. Air Force has prioritized the reinvigoration and strengthening of its nuclear enterprise. However, there are inherent challenges to sustaining the capabilities of nuclear systems of systems. Perhaps the most pressing challenge currently facing the Air Force nuclear enterprise is budgetary constraints. This report outlines a double-layered framework for integrating and managing the sustainment activities of the U.S. Air Force nuclear enterprise in the face of reduced funding and a smaller force structure.

eISBN: 978-0-8330-8354-8
Subjects: Political Science
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Table of Contents
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  1. Front Matter
    Front Matter (pp. i-ii)
  2. Preface
    Preface (pp. iii-iv)
  3. Table of Contents
    Table of Contents (pp. v-vi)
  4. Figures
    Figures (pp. vii-viii)
  5. Summary
    Summary (pp. ix-x)
  6. Acknowledgments
    Acknowledgments (pp. xi-xii)
  7. Abbreviations
    Abbreviations (pp. xiii-xiv)
  8. CHAPTER ONE A Mission-Based View of Sustainment
    CHAPTER ONE A Mission-Based View of Sustainment (pp. 1-10)

    U.S. nuclear deterrence is no more effective than our ability to carry out nuclear operations and other states’ perceptions of this ability. If weapons are not reliable, delivery systems are grounded, or personnel become inadequately trained, deterrence can dangerously degrade. We use the termsustainment of the nuclear mission(or capabilities) to describe processes and actions that ensure the nuclear deterrence mission into the future. We contrast this definition with that of the sustainment of aplatform, broadening the concept of sustainment to mean the sustainment of the doctrine (and policy), organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities...

  9. CHAPTER TWO Challenges and Policy Options to Meet Them
    CHAPTER TWO Challenges and Policy Options to Meet Them (pp. 11-20)

    Although fully implementing the framework described in Chapter One for the sustainment of the Air Force nuclear mission is an ambitious endeavor, most of the basic elements are already in place. Nevertheless, challenges remain. A few elements in the scheme are lacking and would need to be created, and some additional integration and coordination among existing elements would reduce risk. In light of this framework, in this chapter we discuss the gaps in the realization of the framework and areas where current integration and coordination is problematic.

    Given the proposed framework in Figure 1.4, we note that, for nearly every...

  10. References
    References (pp. 21-22)
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