By Bill Trott and David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Billions of dollars are needed in the next five years to ensure the security and effectiveness of the ageing U.S. nuclear deterrent, the Pentagon said on Friday, after reviews found evidence of neglect during years of conventional warfare.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, announcing an overhaul of the system, said Americans had never been endangered.
"We have just kind of taken our eye off the ball here...(but) there's nothing here we can't fix," he said. "As long as we have nuclear weapons we must ensure that they are safe, secure and effective."
Systematic problems had been found that could undermine the security and effectiveness of the arsenal, Hagel said. He blamed "lack of sustained focus, attention and resources."
The reviews, which followed a series of disciplinary incidents, showed a force "understaffed, under-resourced and reliant on an ageing and fragile supporting infrastructure in an over-inspected and overly risk-averse environment," the Pentagon said.
Hagel referred to a situation in which a single wrench needed to attach warheads to missiles had to be sent by Federal Express from one base to another.
"We now have a wrench for each location. We're going to have two wrenches for each location soon," Hagel said.
He said a 10 percent increase was needed in the $15-16 billion budget for the force over each of the next five years.
The reviews called for clarifying the leadership structure, reducing administrative burdens, changing the "culture of micromanagement," raising morale and improving training and inspection methods.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work said while it was President Barack Obama's policy to push for eventual elimination of nuclear weapons throughout the world, investment was needed to maintain the deterrent until it can be replaced in the 2020s.
Work blamed a lack of investment in 13 years of conventional warfare, which has included conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hagel's proposals fell on receptive ears in Congress, where many have pushed for reforms. Republican Representative Buck McKeon, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said: "The Nuclear Enterprise has suffered from neglect for too long."
Hagel flew to Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, home to nuclear bombers and missiles, on Friday to discuss the plans.
In March, 19 missile crew members at the base were decertified after a poor showing in an inspection. The same month the head of the nuclear missile wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana resigned and nine officers were removed from their jobs because of cheating on tests.
(Writing by Bill Trott and David Brunnstrom; Additional reportihg by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Susan Heavey, Dan Grebler, David Storey and Bernard Orr)