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 Hagel told a Pentagon briefing that two reviews he ordered earlier
this year found a "consistent lack of investment" in the nuclear
forces and "systematic problems" that could undermine the safety of
the enterprise if not addressed, including a culture of
over-inspection and micro-management.
The Pentagon chief ordered the reviews after a spate of incidents in
the nuclear force, including cheating on proficiency exams by
missile launch officers, the discovery of a drug ring and the
sacking of the head of the force for drunkenness and bad behavior on
an official visit to Moscow.
Hagel said the nuclear weapons forces, which cost more than $15
billion annually, would need a 10 percent increase in funding each
year over the next five years. That would be more than $7.5 billion
over the period.
 As an example of the funding shortages, he said in one case a single
wrench needed to attach warheads to missiles was shared by all three
U.S. nuclear missile bases in different states and had to be sent by
Federal Express from one to the other.
"We now have a wrench for each location. We're going to have two
wrenches for each location soon," Hagel said.
Visiting Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota hours later, he sought
to reassure troops there of his commitment to revitalizing their
forces with cultural changes and new funding to improve their jobs
and working conditions.
"You are an indispensable element of our national security," Hagel
said. "You are the main deterrent for the security of this country."
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The Pentagon already has begun spending millions of dollars to
improve conditions at Minot, the only base that is home to both
nuclear bombers and missiles. The work includes the first
comprehensive cleaning of launch control centers since they were
built in the 1960s and upgrades to recreational facilities.
Some defense analysts welcomed the results of the review, saying it
would renew focus on nuclear arms after years of neglect. Others
said simply spending more money on a Cold War-era atomic weapons
structure that increasingly plays a limited role in U.S. security
policy would not improve things.
(Additional reporting by Bill Trott, David Brunnstrom, and Patricia
Zengerle; Editing by David Storey, Eric Beech and Paul Tait)
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