Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said at a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event in Washington, D.C. that the U.S. must focus on nuclear triad revitalization, National Defense magazine reported Tuesday.
Richardson noted that new manufacturing procedures like 3D printing can be implemented to develop nuclear weapons and modernize the nation’s command and control system. Additive manufacturing can also help the U.S. craft powerful weapons such as radiological dispersal devices or “dirty bombsâ€, he said.
According to Richardson, the U.S. must continue research into the production of low-yield nuclear systems as stated in the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review. Such efforts should include hardening weapons against “modern challenges†such as cyber threats, he added.
