A group of Democratic senators sent a letter Tuesday to the secretaries of defense and energy to express their opposition to recent recommendations made by the Defense Science Board on low-yield nuclear weapons and full-scale nuclear testing.
The letter, penned by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and 12 other lawmakers, highlights a December report by the independent advisory committee to the Pentagon, which encouraged the administration to consider adding a greater number of low-yield nuclear weapons to the arsenal, in addition to new delivery methods.
The board’s report said this would deter a nuclear first strike by adversary nations. Some lawmakers had already pushed back against this assertion, saying low-yield warheads could increase the risk of nuclear war by encouraging enemies to respond with corresponding force.
“There is no such thing as a limited nuclear war, and the United States should be seeking to raise the threshold for nuclear use, not blur that threshold by building additional so-called low-yield weapons,” the senators wrote.
They also argued that new nuclear weapons are not necessary to enhance deterrence. “Our nation’s security is better protected by investments in advanced conventional weapons, not new nuclear weapons,” according to the letter.
The letter also emphasized that the nuclear enterprise’s stockpile stewardship program is sufficient to ensure the reliability of the U.S. arsenal. “This program of subcritical experimentation has worked, and has taught us more about our stockpile than explosive testing would have,” it said, countering the board’s suggestion that the enterprise leave on the table the option of returning to nuclear testing someday – in the event that the requirements for its mission change. Instead, the letter said, “we should seek to reinforce the global norm against nuclear weapons testing.”
Along with Feinstein, the letters signatories were Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jeffrey Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).
The Trump administration is crafting a Nuclear Posture Review to set the nation’s nuclear policy for up to a decade, which will offer clarity on whether the president intends to consider the board’s recommendations.
