nuclear-news

USA and Russia – just the bare 2,800 non-strategic nuclear warheads !

The report concludes that non-strategic nuclear weapons are neither the reason nor the solution for Europe’s security issues today but that lack of political leadership has allowed bureaucrats to give these weapons a legitimacy they don’t possess and shouldn’t have.

2,800 Nuclear Warheads in Russian and U.S. Arsenal, According to New
Report http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/05/01/2800-nuclear-warheads-in-russian-and-u-s-arsenal-according-to-new-report/  May 1, 2012 From the Federation of American Scientists: A new FAS Special Report – Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons – concludes that Russia and the United States combined possess an estimated 2,800 nuclear warheads for their non-strategic nuclear forces. Several thousand other non-strategic warheads have been retired and are awaiting dismantlement.

The report comes three weeks before 28 NATO member countries convene
in Chicago on 20-21 May to approve the conclusions of a year-long
Deterrence and Defense Posture Review (DDPR). Among other issues, the
review will determine the number and role of the U.S. non-strategic
nuclear weapons deployed in Europe and how NATO might work to reduce
its nuclear posture as well as Russia’s inventory of such weapons in
the future.

Non-strategic nuclear weapons were designed to fight nuclear battles
during the Cold War, yet both NATO and Russia continue to attribute
importance to such weapons and modernize the remaining forces.

The report concludes that unilateral reductions have been the most
effective means to reduce the number and role of non-strategic nuclear
weapons and that additional unilateral reductions remain an important
way to reduce the remaining forces. But since Russia, the United
States and NATO cloak their non-strategic nuclear forces in a veil of
outdated and unnecessary secrecy, new initiatives are needed to
increase transparency of such forces.

Lack of transparency fuels mistrust and worst-case assumptions and the
concerns some eastern NATO countries have about Russia have been used
to prevent a withdrawal of the remaining U.S. nuclear weapons from
Europe. The DDPR is expected to endorse the current deployment in
Europe.

The report concludes that non-strategic nuclear weapons are neither the reason nor the solution for Europe’s security issues today but that lack of political leadership has allowed bureaucrats to give these weapons a legitimacy they don’t possess and shouldn’t have.

May 2, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, USA, weapons and war