Delegation Urges DOD to Expedite Security of Nuclear Weapons

Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines and Representative Ryan Zinke have urged the Department of Defense (DoD) to outline a clear plan for the security of the nuclear missiles stationed in Montana, following the news that the Department of Defense failed to approve the Air Forces’ request for a faster acquisition process.

In a letter to DoD Secretary Ash Carter, the members expressed their concerns with DoD’s announcement to proceed with the slowest proposed route to replace the Vietnam-era UH-1Ns.

“We write to express serious concerns with the absence of an appropriate and timely path to replace the UH-1N helicopters that provide security for America’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fleet,” the members wrote. “The Senate and House of Representatives have both put forth proposals in their Defense Authorization that would give the authority to the Air Force to procure Black Hawks. Moreover, a bipartisan coalition in the House and Senate wrote in support of an urgent fix to this matter.  The Department of Defense has failed to act, however.”

The members also requested that detailed actions be taken to ensure that the nation's nuclear assets are secure.

“Today, we request detailed actions that will be taken by the Defense Department to better secure our land based nuclear assets, including a timeline for each of those actions,” the members continued. “Specifically, we wish to know what steps will be taken to mitigate the failure of current aircraft at the missile bases to reach an ICBM in the prescribed time should there be a security incident.”

The full letter is available here: