President Barack Obama yesterday reaffirmed his intention to reduce the nation’s nuclear stockpile through additional negotiations with Russia, suggesting in a speech at Hankuk University in Seoul, South Korea that he would discuss the potential reductions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in May. In South Korea for the second Nuclear Security Summit, Obama’s comments reflect the path of the current Nuclear Posture Review implementation study being conducted by the Pentagon, which is considering reductions beyond the 1,550-warhead ceiling set by the New START Treaty. He also said that the Administration had encouraged China to “join us” in a dialogue on nuclear issues. “Even as we have more work to do, we can already say with confidence that we have more nuclear weapons than we need,” Obama said. “Even after New START, the United States will still have more than 1,500 deployed nuclear weapons, and some 5,000 warheads. I firmly believe that we can ensure the security of the United States and our allies, maintain a strong deterrent against any threat, and still pursue further reductions in our nuclear arsenal.”
OBAMA REAFFIRMS PUSH FOR MORE STOCKPILE REDUCTIONS
In his speech, Obama said that the nation’s arsenal continued to be “poorly suited to today’s threats, including nuclear terrorism” and that the U.S. has a “moral obligation” to further reduce its stockpile. “I say this as president of the only nation ever to use nuclear weapons,” he said. “I say it as a commander in chief who knows that our nuclear codes are never far from my side. Most of all, I say it as a father, who wants my two young daughters to grow up in a world where everything they know and love can’t be instantly wiped out.”
Groups seek NEPA review of plan to issue surplus plutonium to private companies
The South Carolina Environmental Law Project (SCELP) is demanding the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) conduct a public environmental review of plans to provide 19.7 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium to private nuclear companies. SCELP published the letter of demand Sept. 8 on behalf of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, […]