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Showdown for Obama’s review of USA’s nuclear weapons

Obama presses review of nuclear strategy Pentagon is rethinking the unthinkable: Making major changes to Cold War arsenal Boston Globe By Bryan Bender  January 3, 2 010

“……….. top US officials are now questioning why the United States still pursues a strategy based on the ability to annihilate its former foe. In a thorough review expected to be completed early this year, the size, structure, and even the very mission of America’s nuclear arsenal are being reconsidered as part of President Obama’s pledge to reduce the role of the world’s most deadly weapons.

Obama has already reached a tentative agreement with Russia to reduce the number of warheads on both sides from about 2,200 to between 1,500 and 1,675 in the next several years, while also slashing the missiles and submarines designed to carry them to between 500 and 1,000. The so-called Nuclear Posture Review, led by the Pentagon, could recommend going even further, to 1,000 warheads or fewer, top administration officials have told Congress.

The review is shaping up to be a major showdown for Obama this year. It is taking on some of the most sacred cows of the nuclear program. For the first time, influential voices, including a former top nuclear commander and senior Obama advisers, are proposing that one leg of the nuclear arms “triad’’ – a $30 billion-a-year enterprise made up of land-, air-, and sea-based weapons – be eliminated.

Another historic change under consideration is adopting a “no-first-use’’ policy, a public declaration stating the United States would not use nuclear weapons first, a step long advocated by arms control advocates who believe it would reduce the incentive for other nations to develop nuclear weapons.

Obama presses review of nuclear strategy – The Boston Globe

January 3, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons