GLOBAL ZERO ADVOCATES MASSIVE STOCKPILE REDUCTIONS, CUTS TO MODERNIZATION

Reducing the size of the nation’s nuclear arsenal to 900 nuclear weapons, as a report issued by Global Zero yesterday advocates, would allow the nation to significantly scale back its plans to modernize the nation’s nuclear weapons complex and arsenal, the study’s chairman said in a teleconference with reporters yesterday. Retired Gen. James Cartwright, who headed up U.S. Strategic Command and was the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during his time in the military, said some modernization would still be necessary, but he said that significant cutbacks could be made to current plans. For instance, he said the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement-Nuclear Facility, which the Administration has chosen to defer for at least five years, could be scaled back. “The CMRR would be necessary, but not as much. Clearly the capability would have to be there, just scaled down,” Cartwright said. “So you may be able to save a substantial amount of money in infrastructure if you go to the even lower levels.”