A recent University of New Hampshire poll found that more than 80% of New Hampshire adults, regardless of political affiliation, think it is very or somewhat important for candidates in the 2020 presidential election to discuss their views on nuclear weapons.
We, the undersigned, agree and urge all the 2020 presidential candidates to make reducing nuclear weapons risks a top priority and lay out their plans for doing so.
Today, some 9,000 nuclear weapons remain on the planet—with over 90 percent owned by the United States and Russia. Most of these weapons have a destructive power far greater than the atomic bombs the United States dropped on Japan at the end of World War II, killing several hundred thousand people. The use of nuclear weapons anywhere in the world could have devastating human, environmental, and economic consequences—potentially affecting everyone on the planet.
Currently:
- The United States reserves the option to start a nuclear war
- The U.S. president—like previous presidents—has sole authority over using U.S. nuclear weapons
- The United States keeps many hundreds of nuclear weapons on hair trigger alert, increasing the risk of mistaken launches in response to false warning of attack
These policies are left over from the Cold War and make the U.S. public less safe than it should be. The candidates should tell the public what their plans are for changing U.S. policies to reduce these dangers.
In addition, the United States has withdrawn from several nuclear arms control agreements and may be laying the groundwork to withdraw from another. And it has a trillion-dollar plan to rebuild the entire nuclear arsenal with upgraded nuclear weapons in the coming decades. These are steps in the wrong direction.
Humanity faces two existential threats—climate change and nuclear war.
The time for bold action and U.S. leadership is now. We cannot leave the solutions to future generations. Our children and grandchildren are counting on us.
Signed
- Phillip D. Albright
Concerned Citizen Vietnam Veteran
Durham, NH - Martine Behra, Ph.D.
Bedford, NH - Dr. Janet Collett
Marlow, NH - Josh Denton
Portsmouth City Councilor
Portsmouth, NH - Robert Drysdale
Professor Emeritus, Computer Science (Ret.)
Dartmouth College - Judith Elliott
Peace Activist
Canterbury, NH - Dr. David J. Ellis
Londonderry, NH - Will Hopkins
Iraq War Veteran Director – NH Peace Action
Belmont, NH - Phillip S. Hunt, Sc.D.
Newfields, NH - Lila Kohrman-Glaser
Co-Director, 350NH
Dover, NH - Dr. Christine Kuhlman
North Sutton, NH - Colonel Gary E. Lambert
U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Nashua, NH - John Lamperti
Professor of Mathematics, Emeritus
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH - C. David London, M.D.
Stratham, NH - David and Debra Luchsinger
Greenland, NH - Richard Mark
Former Executive Director Professionals’ Coalition for Nuclear Arms Control
Grantham, NH - Elizabeth Mello
Environmental Conservation/Education
Kingston, NH - Mary Day Mordecai and Ned Hulbert
National Advisory Board Members Union of Concerned Scientists
Harrisville, NH - Ryan D. Palmer
Former US Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Specialist
3rd Battalion of 197th Field Artillery Regiment Concord, NH - Charles Pinkerton, M.D.
Portsmouth, NH - Jason L. Rhoades, Ph.D.
International Service Program Director, Antioch University New England - Mona Stephenson
Preschool Teacher
Stratham, NH - Sam Tardi
Senior at University of New Hampshire
Dover, NH - John Walter Jr., MD
Keene, NH - Abigail Abrash Walton, Ph.D.
Antioch University New England - Sidney H. Wanzer, M.D.
Exeter, NH - Rob Werner
Concord City Councilor
Concord, NH - Dr. Sandra Yarne
Psychologist
Durham, NH
Organizational affiliations are for identification purposes only.