By Jake Sullivan, the interpreter: “Three basic premises that formed the foundation of American foreign policy since 1945 are now in doubt. First, the premise that our alliances are a strategic asset, and not a liability, for the US. Second, the premise that values as well as interests matter in the conduct of our foreign policy. Third, and most important, the premise that American foreign policy should operate on the positive-sum logic that we are safer, stronger, and more prosperous when we contribute to making others safer, stronger, and more prosperous.”
By Jerry Hendrix & James Price, CNAS: “As proved by this B-2 mission and many others, today’s bombers can successfully strike targets anywhere in the world and hold a nation’s enemies at risk in their own territory. Over time, bombers have developed and maintained this ability to operate deep in the enemy’s heartland where other weapon systems could not reach. This unique capability derives from a combination of three critical traits all bombers must possess in some dynamic combination, which may alter within a single mission: range, payload, and the ability to penetrate enemy defenses.”
The Political and Military Vulnerability of America’s Land-Based Nuclear Missiles
By Jon Wolfsthal, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: “As part of its comprehensive nuclear posture review, the Trump administration should take the time to determine whether ICBMs fit into America’s nuclear deterrent strategy, and to consider options such as reducing or even eliminating them – which could be done with little risk to the overall security of the United States or its allies.”