Chuck Hagel is increasing nuclear spending by almost $10 billion

Chuck Hagel is increasing nuclear spending by almost $10 billion
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Friday the Defense Department will increase spending on nuclear forces by 10 percent a year for the next five years, The Associated Press reports. That comes out to nearly $10 billion.

"The internal and external reviews I ordered show that a consistent lack of investment and support for our nuclear forces over far too many years has left us with too little margin to cope with mounting stresses," Hagel told Pentagon reporters.

Hagel ordered two reviews back in February, one by Pentagon officials and one by outside experts, after reports of lapses in leadership, morale, safety and security, AP says.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.