U.S. needs to preserve nuclear expertise.

• Author: Fein, Geoff S.
• Position: Washington Pulse - Brief Article

Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert L. Smolen said that if the United States is going to maintain its strategic preeminence, it needs to maintain its technical expertise in nuclear weapons.

Smolen, the director of nuclear and counter-proliferation office of the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations, told a gathering of military and industry representatives on Capitol Hill that, after decades of downsizing, the nuclear scientific community has lost much of its talent. "People no longer see [it] as a viable career move," he said.

Part of the problem may be that the field has become too small and too specialized, he said. There are not a lot of places for people to go, Smolen said, referring to the decline in the number of nuclear bases.

To try to preserve the strategic expertise, Smolen said, the Nuclear Technology Fellowship Program--a 21-month Air Force program at Sandia National Laboratory--is giving younger officers a "fairly significant amount of...