On the recordDecember 20, 2010
I guess the concern and observation the Senator raised I would make as well. With regard to a follow-on bomber, a next- generation bomber, much of our bomber fleet today--47 percent of it is pre-Cuban missile era. So they are older. They need to be replaced. We need a next-generation bomber. The question the Senator raised about the ambiguity coming out of whether a next-generation bomber would, in fact, be nuclear is a real concern because that would put at risk the existence of the triad, which I think allows us to maintain the flexibility, the versatility we have today in terms of nuclear deterrence. So I would echo what the Senator from Arizona has voiced as a concern about this discussion of a next-generation bomber and whether, one, it will be done, and, two, it will be a nuclear bomber.
