Trump Still Has His Finger on the Nuclear Button. This Must Change.

Trump Still Has His Finger on the Nuclear Button. This Must Change.
The time has come to take the nuclear football away from this president—and all the presidents that come after him. Politico, By WILLIAM J. PERRY and TOM Z. COLLINA 01/08/2021

William J. Perry was secretary of defense from 1994 to 1997. Tom Z. Collina is director of policy at Ploughshares Fund. They are co-authors of the book The Button: The New Nuclear Arms Race and Presidential Power from Truman to Trump.

Anyone who watched the disturbing events on Capitol Hill and President Donald Trump’s outrageous role as ringleader of the riot, must comprehend a crucial and terrifying fact: The president of the United States is unhinged and a threat not only to democracy, but to our survival. The danger is so acute that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is actively looking for ways to prevent the “unstable president from … accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike.”

Unfortunately, under existing policy the only sure way to safeguard the nuclear arsenal from an unstable president is not to elect one. Once in office, a president gains the absolute authority to start a nuclear war. Within minutes, Trump can unleash hundreds of atomic bombs, or just one. He does not need a second opinion. The Defense secretary has no say. Congress has no role.

As a nation, we need to ask ourselves: Why are we taking this risk? Do we really think that Trump is responsible enough to trust him with the power to end the world?

But here’s the even bigger question: Do we really think any president should have the godlike power to deliver global destruction in an instant? By now, it should be clear that no one person should have the unilateral power to end our civilization. Such unchecked authority is undemocratic, outdated, unnecessary and extremely dangerous.

It’s time to get rid of the nuclear football. It’s no longer necessary, and its very existence is a danger to our national security……….

Luckily, we don’t need to take such risks. It’s no longer necessary to make a nuclear use decision quickly, and here’s how President-elect Joe Biden can get there.

First, once in office, Biden should announce he would share authority to use nuclear weapons with a select group in Congress. He should also declare that the United States will never start a nuclear war and would use the bomb only in retaliation.

Second, to make that pledge more credible, Biden should retire the land-based ballistic missiles that are stationary and more vulnerable to be taken out in a first strike—which could force a president into a quick “use-them-or-lose-them” decision. These missiles are not needed for deterrence, which is ensured by survivable submarine-based weapons. We can and should get out of the “use-them-or-lose-them” mindset.

On Jan. 20, if all goes well, the nation and the world can breathe a giant sigh of relief. Once Biden is sworn in as president, the nuclear football will be his. It will then be up to Biden to retire the football and ensure that we never again entrust the most powerful killing machine ever created to just one fallible human. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/01/08/trump-still-has-his-finger-on-the-nuclear-button-this-must-change-456667

January 11, 2021 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, weapons and war

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