nuclear-news

U.S. should shrink nuclear arsenal says Senator

Sen. Dianne Feinstein: Generals agree: U.S. should shrink nuclear arsenal  DIANNE FEINSTEIN | U.S. senator, D- Calif. 4 Dec 14 During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were mired in an arms race. The antagonism led each side to stockpile more than 30,000 nuclear weapons to prevent the other from gaining an advantage.

Today, however, nuclear weapons are seen as a financial burden and a threat to global security. Furthermore, our nuclear stockpile is competing for limited defense spending, money that could be used to address more pressing challenges such as the fight against the Islamic State and defending against cyberattacks.

That’s why the amount the United States spends to maintain and modernize its nuclear arsenal is so staggering. Over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office reports that the United States will spend $355 billion on nuclear weapons.

We’re holding far more nuclear weapons than are necessary, and the cost is undermining other national security priorities. It’s time we take a long look at how we can responsibly reduce our stockpile.

The United States currently maintains 4,804 nuclear weapons. If you include retired weapons that are awaiting dismantlement and the thousands of components in storage, the United States has the equivalent of around 10,000 weapons. When you consider that the weapons we maintain today are up to 100 times more destructive than the ones used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it becomes clear that the only value they offer is in deterring a nuclear attack.

Meanwhile, efforts to reduce the stockpile are faltering……………..http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/sen-dianne-feinstein-generals-agree-u-s-should-shrink-nuclear/article_82872707-8514-5e1b-8e18-14ebc43ef9b9.html

December 5, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general