Nuclear Weapons & Global Security - Summer 2009
Contents
- Summary
- Nuclear Posture Review: Walking the Walk
- Missile Defense – Science and Security, not Special Interests
Program Updates
Clean Energy
Clean Vehicles
Food and Agriculture
Global Warming
Nuclear Weapons and Global Security
Scientific Integrity
Summary
As the Obama administration conducts a critical nuclear posture review this fall, which will help shape U.S. policy for the next 5 to 10 years, UCS and thousands of activists are pushing to make sure the review embraces a new, pragmatic approach that will make the United States and the world more secure. UCS along with activists, scientists, and allies continues to work to stop congressional efforts to fund unproven, costly missile defense programs that even the Pentagon wants to cancel and to highlight the technical limitations of a proposed anti-missile system in Eastern Europe.
Nuclear Posture Review: Walking the Walk
In early April, President Obama gave an historic speech in Prague in which he called for an end to Cold War thinking and a new approach and policy steps that would dramatically reduce the role on nuclear weapons in our national security. He outlined an approach that UCS has long been working for—with your help. Giving the speech was the easy part; now comes the hard part. As mandated by Congress, the administration is conducting a comprehensive nuclear posture review (NPR), due to be released in early 2010, which will guide decision making for the next 5-10 years. Recognizing its importance, UCS has played a major role in advocacy efforts to help insure the NPR incorporates key policy goals, including ending the "rapid-launch" requirement for nuclear-armed missiles, declaring that the only purpose of nuclear weapons is to deter their use against our country or our allies, and deep, verifiable reductions in our nuclear arsenal.
Nearly 9,000 UCS activists have written President Obama and other key administration officials with this message. UCS has organized coalition and expert sign-on letters and helped organize meetings with key administration and Department of Defense officials working on the NPR. UCS senior analyst Gregory Kulacki also had a very successful trip to Japan in which he helped to counter arguments made by some administration officials that Japan will pursue nuclear weapons if we modify our nuclear policies in any substantial way.
Missile Defense – Science and Security, Not Special Interests
UCS scientists and activists have led the fight against unproven, costly, and provocative anti-missile schemes since President Reagan launched the "Star Wars" missile defense concept in 1983. Our message remains consistent—intercepting long-range missiles is a very difficult technical challenge and current systems can be readily overwhelmed by inexpensive decoys and other countermeasures. The United States should not deploy anti-missile systems until they can be proven to work in a realistic operating environment. This year, our message appears to be getting through, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates proposed a $1 billion cut in next year's missile defense budget and the cancellation of several ineffective anti-missile programs. Unfortunately, due to special interests, some in Congress are trying to reverse that decision and fund programs that the Pentagon no longer wants. Thanks to hundreds of UCS activists in key House districts, we helped block a move to increase the missile defense budget by more than $1 billion. However, we expect more attempts to have special interests trump science and national security as next year's military spending bills work their way through Congress.
In a related issue, UCS organized a letter of prominent scientists, including 10 Nobel laureates, urging President Obama not to proceed with deployment of a missile defense system in Europe unless it can be shown to work. We were told the letter was handed directly to the president in July as he prepares to make a decision that is expected this fall.
