Posted on 01/31/2009 8:46:56 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
President Barack Obama has set a goal of a "world without nuclear weapons" but the Pentagon is leaning in a seemingly contradictory direction: a modernised nuclear arsenal.
The new administration has signalled its intent to swiftly engage Russia in negotiations on deeper cuts in their respective arsenals, with the ultimate aim of reducing them to zero.
But US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been leading another kind of charge, arguing in the final months of the previous administration that deeper cuts must be underpinned by production of a new warhead to replace an ageing nuclear stockpile.
"To be blunt, there is absolutely no way we can maintain a credible deterrent and reduce the number of weapons in our stockpile without either resorting to testing our stockpile or pursuing a modernisation program," he said in an October 28 speech.
Gates' speech at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, says Jan Kristensen, an analyst at the Federation of American Scientists, was "an attempt to set a bottom line."
In Kristensen's view, the secretary's message was:
"You can cut the numbers, but below that we need to have a strong capability, not only to maintain what we have, but also to build up if we need to."
Kristensen added: "That is the big clash."
Gates is not alone in his thinking.
General Kevin Chilton, head of the US Strategic Command, warns that the United States is "living today off the largesse of an industrial base and a concept that was developed to support the Cold War which is many years in the rear view mirror right now."
A Pentagon advisory panel led by former defense secretary James Schlesinger warned this month of a weakening US deterrent.
On the other hand, former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, former defense secretary William Perry and former Senator Sam Nunn say that nuclear weapons are increasingly ineffective as a deterrent.
They called for a "world free of nuclear weapons" in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece two years ago.
The debate is likely to intensify over the next year as the new administration reviews the US nuclear posture.
A bipartisan commission appointed by Congress is expected to weigh in April, and the Pentagon will undertake its own review later this year.
The White House has already staked out its position, declaring on its website that "Obama and (Vice President Joe) Biden will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and pursue it."
They will stop production of new nuclear weapons, seek agreement with Russia to take missiles off hair trigger alert, and seek "dramatic reductions" in their respective arsenals, it said.
But, it also said, "Obama and Biden will always maintain a strong deterrent as long as nuclear weapons exist."
Proponents of modernization argue that as weapons in the existing stockpile age, doubts about their safety and reliability will inevitably grow, thereby lessening their deterrent value.
They want Congress to fund the production of a new so-called "Reliable Replacement Warhead," which would incorporate safety features in its design to prevent accidental detonation or unauthorized use.
The Congress, however, has been skeptical of the need for the RRW. Studies have shown no decline in the safety or reliability of the existing arsenal, and programs currently exist to extend their shelf life.
He wants the US and Soviet Union to eliminate their nukes, yet he allows North Korea and Iran to develop nuclear arms. And he missed the growing threat of China’s nukes?
Just like a liberal.
When the stuff hits the fan, I hope folks remember what this child has been up to.
BTW, you’re right on target. Lefties don’t see any threat from people like Iran, North Korea, or China. Bush is the major threat there. Cheney is the major threat.
Go figure. It will be a man like Cheney who will have to clean up after this child.
Doesn’t that make you feel all warm and squishy? Group hug!
That pretty much sums it up.
The seeds being sown for the second civil war.
US Attorney to Contact about Suspicious Obots:
http://drorly.blogspot.com/2009/02/jean-kulig-tucker-founder-www.html
I fear Gates won’t even make it through the year.”
I don’t think Gates will make it to July 4th.
That is the date NObama intends to announce that he is demanding all members of the American Armed Forces and National Guard retake an oath of alligence to him, The President, instead of to the country and the Constitution.
See thread 2174433.
Having said that, I have no doubt that 'the one' will demand allegiance (dare I say, worship?) from everyone someday. More than likely, that will come in his second term.
Maybe Bob can answer some of these questions?
PHONE: 202.628.6600
Robert (Bob) Bauer is currently counsel to Obama for America and the Democratic Senatorial and Congressional Campaign Committees, and has served as co-counsel to the New Hampshire State Senate in the trial of Chief Justice David A. Brock (2000).
607 Fourteenth Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20005-2003
PHONE: 202.628.6600 FAX: 202.434.1690
President Jimmy Carter without the experience and common sense.......
And Jimmy was not much an elitist...sent Amy to public schools in DC
F-0!!!
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