Thinking the Unthinkable"The service Chiefs ... have had to ... take cuts that eventually are going to impact us. Flying hours, for example. In the near term, what the Air Force is going to try to do is take their [cut in] flying hours in the bomber force ... in such a way as to make sure that our crews that are nuclear-certified will remain so for as long as possible.... As time passes, we will see greater impacts to the nuclear deterrent, global strike, missile warning and missile defense, situational awareness in both space and cyberspace, and to our support for warfighters around the globe.... Ultimately, reduced readiness and curtailed modernization [will] damage the perceived credibility of our capabilities, increasing the risk to achieving our primary deterrence and assurance objectives."-Gen. C. Robert Kehler, head of US Strategic Command, remarks before the House Armed Services Committee, March 5.
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