Pentagon chief Hagel orders overhaul of nuclear program

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced a series of reforms on Friday aimed at restoring prestige and ensuring the highest level of security for the country's nuclear program.

"This nuclear enterprise has kind of been allowed to back downhill a little bit," Hagel said. "It is not paying attention where we should have in some areas."

According to a review conducted by the Pentagon this year, the United States' nuclear facilities - which are located across three separate military bases in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota - suffered from problems so serious that they "could undermine the safety, security and effectiveness of elements of the force in the future," he added.

The Pentagon chief cited micromanagement, a lack of investment and a lack of resources as among the top reasons for the decline.

One salient example of insufficient oversight was illustrated by the example of a tool set needed to tighten bolts on the Minuteman 3 warhead missile. Only one of these tool sets exists, and maintenance crews at the three bases would pass it along as needed by the Federal Express courier delivery service.

As part of its overhaul, the Pentagon is to request a 10-percent increase to its current $16 billion (12.7 billion euros) annual budget over the next five years.

Demoralized staff

Earlier this year, a scandal revealed a record low levels of morale among personnel working with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

There was "a pervasive sense that a career in the nuclear enterprise offers too few opportunities for growth and advancement," Hagel said, citing the emergence of a number of misconduct scandals this year.

Dozens of officers were suspended in January for allegedly cheated on a monthly systems proficiency test at Malmstrom Air Force Base. In March, roughly 11 missile crew members were the subject of a drug investigation.

As a result, the Pentagon chief ordered a four-star general take command of the program, emphasizing that the higher-ranking official could exert more influence and receive more respect among the lower ranks. Currently, three-star Lieutenant General Stephen Wilson oversees the 450 ICBM staff and the nuclear bomber force.

"We must restore the prestige that attracted the brightest minds of the Cold War era, so our most talented young men and women see the nuclear pathway as promising and valued," he said.

The Department of Defense works in coordination with the National Nuclear Security Administration to safeguard and maintain the country's stockpile of nuclear warheads, which was capped at 1,550 in 2010 as part of a treaty with Russia. The "triad" US nuclear deterrent consists of silo-based missiles and nuclear-armed submarines and bombers.

kms/msh (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)