What is a Nuclear Posture Review?

The Nuclear Posture Review is mandated by Congress (this one is required by the Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Authorization Act) and it requires the President to establish a comprehensive review of U.S. nuclear deterrence policy, strategy, and posture for the next five to ten years.

This Review will include such things as the plans and policies for the role of nuclear weapons, international security strategy, the size and composition of US nuclear forces, and the steps necessary to maintain safety and reliability of the current stockpile. In addition to guiding Administration plans, Congress will look very closely at this Review as it considers the next budget  (Fiscal Year 2011) and it will also play a very important role as the Senate considers major arms control treaties such as the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

The last Nuclear Posture Review was done in 2002. As you can imagine, that Bush Administration “posture” is not well-aligned with the nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation goals of the current Administration. The hope is that President Obama can make a major posture adjustment. In fact, a senior defense official has said that President Obama’s speech in Prague “was really a sort of -- a great strategic framework for this review -- we are placing a high priority on reducing nuclear proliferation.” [1]

As a practical matter, Nuclear Posture Reviews have historically tended to be bureaucratic machinations shrouded in secrecy. The Defense Department is primarily responsible for writing the Review with input from the Energy and State Departments. The Administration notes that this Review is being “closely interwoven” with ongoing negotiations with Russia on the expected new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

As it is hoped that the Senate will begin consideration of this treaty soon and ratify it by December of this year, it is possible that Congress and even the public may know more about elements of this Nuclear Posture Review before it is completed. Some observers, are concerned however, that the START Treaty negotiations may put much pressure to rush completion of the Nuclear Posture Review, which could work against making necessary fundamental policy changes. The final Nuclear Posture Review is expected to be completed either by the end of 2009 or early in 2010.

President Obama has the ultimate responsibility to approve of the Administration’s Nuclear Posture Review. It is vitally important that we encourage him to personally ensure that his Nuclear Posture Review is properly aligned with his stated goal “to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.” [2]