CITS Distinguished Fellow asked to join National Academy of Sciences panel to assess global strike capability

General Eugene E. Habiger, USAF (Ret.), Distinguished Fellow and Policy Advisor at UGA’s Center for International Trade and Security, has been asked to join a 15-month National Academy of Sciences committee tasked with assessing the global strike capability of existing Trident II (D5) missiles.

Trident missiles carried on U.S. submarines comprise the mainstay of the U.S. strategic nuclear deterrent force.  A conversion program has called for equipping each of the 12 deployed ballistic-missile submarines with two conventionally armed Tridents.  In 2006, a Pentagon review of military force structures called for fielding such conventionally armed ballistic missiles on submarines to create an initial global strike capability within 2 years.

In a preliminary report just released, the NAS panel recommended that Congress not fund full production or deployment of modified Trident missiles, but did support full research and development funding for a program that would modify the Trident missile.  According to the report, “Trident modification is not the optimal solution for the longer term, but within the next 6 years it represents the only viable option for a prompt global strike capability,” the committee writes.

The full NAS panel reports are due out next spring.

General Habiger (UGA ’63) retired as Commander-in-Chief, United States Strategic Command, where he was responsible for all U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy strategic nuclear forces supporting the national security strategy of strategic deterrence.  After his retirement, from the U.S. Air Force, General Habiger was appointed the U.S. Department of Energy’s Director of security and emergency operations. In this role with CITS, he has assisted with the Center’s international programs aimed at preventing weapons proliferation and reducing nuclear dangers. In addition, General Habiger serves on the Board of Visitors of UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs, as well as the board of directors of the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

CITS is associated with UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs.  The Center is devoted to research, teaching, and outreach on issues related to international trade and security.  CITS is highly regarded for its research on nonproliferation export controls—the laws, regulations, and enforcement arrangements that keep the components of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists and countries of concern. CITS’ activities bolster export controls in countries where these components are manufactured, transshipped, and imported.  Having published evaluations of export controls in over 40 countries, the Center’s system for evaluating export controls is the acknowledged standard in the field.

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