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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 1d

"The spreadsheet behind the Golden Dome sticker shock"

The spreadsheet behind the Golden Dome sticker shock

The spreadsheet behind the Golden Dome sticker shock The spreadsheet behind the Golden Dome sticker shock

spacenews.com

Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 1d

"the submarine industrial base “will need to go through a transformational improvement in production capacity, not a 10 percent, not a 20 percent, but 100 percent improvement in production capacity.”

AUKUS Can be Strengthened, More Sustainable, DoD Official Says During DoD Review - Defense Daily

A Defense Department official on Tuesday said there are things the U.S. and Australia can do to make the AUKUS security agreement stronger and more

www.defensedaily.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 2d

“Trump Praises Putin’s Offer to Extend Nuclear Treaty” www.wsj.com/world/russia...

“Kremlin Welcomes Trump’s Blessing of Proposal to Extend Nuclear Caps” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/w...

Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 6d

"The unit cost for viable space-based interceptors..must be no more than about $200k if designed to counter Russia only, or about $30k if intended to maintain defense against both Russia and China..[E]xisting approaches are in most cases very far from meeting these metrics."

cgsr.llnl.gov

Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 6d

"Don’t Overestimate the Autocratic Alliance"

Don’t Overestimate the Autocratic Alliance

Washington still has significant leverage over China, North Korea, and Russia.

www.foreignaffairs.com

Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 6d

"The Air Force is not planning to fund a service life extension program for Minuteman III, but instead to 'mitigate obsolescence issues' with the ICBM, he [Gen. Rogers] said.

USAF Wants To Solidify Requirements For Sentinel Silos And Launch Centers - Defense Daily

As the U.S. Air Force restructures the program for the LGM-35A future ICBM by Northrop Grumman , the service wants to solidify requirements for the

www.defensedaily.com

Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 6d

"Russia still waiting for US response to nuclear arms control proposal, says Russia's UN envoy"

Russia still waiting for US response to nuclear arms control proposal, says Russia's UN envoy

Russia is still waiting for U.S. President Donald Trump to respond to President Vladimir Putin's offer to voluntarily maintain the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons once a key arms control treaty expires, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on Wednesday.

www.reuters.com

Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 6d

"Pentagon to continue to draft its FY-27 budget despite lapse in FY-26 appropriations"

Pentagon to continue to draft its FY-27 budget despite lapse in FY-26 appropriations | InsideDefense.com

The Defense Department will carry on with activities to develop the fiscal year 2027 budget request in the background of the federal government shutdown, a Pentagon official told Inside Defense.

insidedefense.com

Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 8d

Two views.

"Why President Trump should put off the new nuclear arms race for one more year" thebulletin.org/2025/09/why-...

"Responding to Putin’s Arms Control Proposal" www.aei.org/foreign-and-...

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 8d

"asked whether the cost estimate for the effort still coincides with the $175 billion figure shared by Trump, Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who leads SASC’s tactical air and land subcommittee, responded that 'it does.'"

SASC Dems skeptical of Golden Dome price, feasibility - Breaking Defense

“We need a lot more information before we make decisions to spend hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars," said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.

breakingdefense.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 8d

"Kremlin says British and French arsenals must ultimately be part of nuclear disarmament talks"

Kremlin says British and French arsenals must ultimately be part of nuclear disarmament talks

Talks on reducing strategic nuclear weapons must first be conducted between Russia and the U.S., but the arsenals of Britain and France will ultimately have to be included in negotiations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying on Sunday.

www.reuters.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 9d

“The new acceleration council is focused on 12 weapons that the Pentagon wants on hand for a potential conflict w/China..The list includes Patriot interceptors, Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles, the Standard Missile-6, Precision Strike Missiles and Joint Air-Surface Standoff Missiles.”

Exclusive | Pentagon Pushes to Double Missile Production for Potential China Conflict

U.S. military leaders are urging defense contractors to increase assembly of 12 critical weapons.

www.wsj.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 10d

🤦‍♂️

“Naturally, the Russian side is ready to participate in such a process of renunciation, a general renunciation of biological weapons, and, of course, it would be good to somehow formalise it, again at the international level," he said.

Russia says it backs Trump's call for ban on biological weapons

Russia supports a call by U.S. President Donald Trump for a comprehensive global ban on biological weapons, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

www.reuters.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 12d

"Trump's shipbuilding office is active within OMB after relocation and leadership change"

Trump's shipbuilding office is active within OMB after relocation and leadership change | InsideDefense.com

The Trump administration's shipbuilding office is up and running within the White House Office of Management and Budget after a leadership change this summer and is now working to promote investments ...

insidedefense.com

Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 12d

"China, China, Chi—wait, what? Air Force mulls next steps amid homeland focus"

China, China, Chi—wait, what? Air Force mulls next steps amid homeland focus

Officials tout applicability of ongoing modernization, but experts and former officials have doubts.

www.defenseone.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 13d

"Air Force general pledges to ‘get Sentinel done,’ expects Milestone B in 2027" breakingdefense.com/2025/09/air-...

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 13d

"U.S. Air Force Secretary: New Chief Nomination Coming Soon"

U.S. Air Force Secretary: New Chief Nomination Coming Soon | Aviation Week Network

The U.S. Air Force will have a chief of staff when its current uniformed leader retires in early November, the service's boss says.

aviationweek.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 15d

“In the future..we will be able to better adjust and get after those new capabilities, especially when it comes to things like software and some of the other capabilities that may ride on top of the missile.”

Officials Tout Digital Tools, Cyber Focus for New Sentinel ICBM

The Air Force and Northrop Grumman are investing in cybersecurity and digital modeling and testing for the new Sentinel ICBM.

www.airandspaceforces.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 15d

Service Secretary Troy Meink stressed to reporters that Sentinel and the entire nuclear enterprise remains “one of our top priorities...I’m much more confident in the program than I was when I first got the job.”

All stages of Sentinel missile prototyped, tested | InsideDefense.com

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- All stages of the Defense Department's next nuclear missile have been prototyped and tested, an executive at prime contractor Northrop Grumman said today.

insidedefense.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 15d

-“We are really looking, based on the analysis, to early-to-mid 2027" for Milestone B redo
-IOC "has shifted to the end of 2033"
-"the service is examining removing the final Minuteman III well before that date [2050]"

Updated Sentinel Acquisition Strategy in Works, EMD Approval Goal Early to Mid-2027 - Defense Daily

This fall, the Defense Department may approve an updated acquisition strategy for the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel future ICBM before a possible

www.defensedaily.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 15d

"Backing away from Russia, Trump says Ukraine should win back its land and NATO allies should shoot down incursions"

Backing away from Russia, Trump says Ukraine should win back its land and NATO allies should shoot down incursions

The president’s remarks come after a meeting with Ukraine’s president.

www.politico.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 15d

"In Rare China Visit, U.S. Lawmakers Call Lack of Military Talks ‘Dangerous’"

In Rare China Visit, U.S. Lawmakers Call Lack of Military Talks ‘Dangerous’

www.nytimes.com

Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 15d

Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif...told a local TV channel on Thursday: “What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will be made available to [Saudi Arabia] according to this agreement.” On Friday, however, he told Reuters the nuclear umbrella was “not on the radar”.

Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 15d

"Pentagon kicks off space-based interceptor development, $5.6B available to fuel effort"

Pentagon kicks off space-based interceptor development, $5.6B available to fuel effort | InsideDefense.com

The Space Force has formally launched a competition to prototype space-based interceptors, issuing a Sept. 18 request for proposals even as analysts and former senior defense officials warn that physi...

insidedefense.com

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Kingston Reif @kingstonareif.bsky.social · 15d

“The Pakistanis are not giving their bomb to Saudi Arabia,” the person said, citing discussions within the Israeli government. “But the Saudis are also saying something very loudly: ‘We have other friends in the world’.”

Petrodollars and the ‘Islamic bomb’: how a Saudi-Pakistan pact was forged

Gulf nation backed Islamabad’s nuclear weapons programme, say experts. A new defence pact draws the allies closer

www.ft.com

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