WAND Education Fund » New START

Putting the Bygone Nuclear Era Behind Us

Admin — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:07:46 +0000

Monday, December 3, 2012, in his first national security speech since winning reelection, President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to “a world without nuclear weapons.” At an event honoring the 20^th anniversary of the Nunn-Lugar program at the National War College in Washington, D.C., the President was thankful for the bi-partisan work and leadership for measures to reduce nuclear dangers - Nuclear Security Summits, New START Treaty and strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. He was adamant about the work remaining to reach the ultimate goal of “a future where these weapons never threaten our children again.” He admitted that the work might be slow, but “missile by missile, warhead by warhead, shell by shell, we’re putting a bygone era behind us.”

Nuclear disarmament has been a key issue for President Obama since his time in the Senate and this affirmation is important to remind the country, Congress, and his own administration, that this problem is ongoing and is vital to national and global security.

Read the full speech here.

No more Hiroshimas: Let’s end nuclear threat

Admin — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:30:36 +0000

GUEST VIEWPOINT: No more Hiroshimas: Let’s end nuclear threat

By Michael Carrigan and Susan Cundiff

Published: August 8, 2012 by The Register-Guard

This month marks the 67th anniversary of the only time nuclear weapons were used in warfare. The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, 1945. An estimated 220,000 men, women and children had died in those two cities by the end of 1945.

We will gather on Monday at Alton Baker Park in Eugene to proclaim “Never again!”

The Hanford Nuclear Site on the banks of the Columbia River in Washington state played a pivotal role in the nuclear race that followed the creation of those weapons. Material for the Nagasaki bomb was made there, and Hanford was the site of the world’s first full-scale plutonium production reactor. Nuclear weapons tests — 2,056 of them — were conducted worldwide. At the peak of the Cold War, there were some 70,000 nuclear weapons.

The number has decreased since the Cold War, but 23,000 nuclear warheads are still intact globally, enough to blow up the planet. The U.S. and Russia possess more than 90 percent, of which about 2,000 are on high alert — meaning they are ready for launch in minutes. This reliance on nuclear arsenals encourages the spread of weapons and increases the possibility of an accidental launch or intentional nuclear attack.

The past 67 years of nuclear weapons production has cost the United States hundreds of billions of dollars and required more than five decades of cleanup, and still there will be contamination at Hanford and other sites for hundreds of generations to come.

In December 2010, with support of our military leadership, 71 senators, including Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden from Oregon, voted to ratify the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. New START reduced U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals and established a process for verifying these and future reductions. It is in our country’s best interest to further this nuclear downsizing and to pursue the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons.

As President Obama said in March, “We have more nuclear weapons than we need. 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.”

Other security experts agree. In April, Gen. James Cartwright, former vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and commander of U.S. nuclear forces under President George W. Bush, called for an 80 percent reduction in U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals.

And Merkley, a former national security analyst at the Pentagon, says the START treaty “continues a long history of bipartisan support for nuclear arms control dating back to Presidents John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, demonstrating that safety and security is best achieved by reducing stockpiles of nuclear weapons, not by building them up.”

While these weapons are not making us more secure, they cost some $30 billion a year to maintain. With plans to spend more than $180 billion over the next decade, the federal budget significantly increases funding for nuclear weapons activities while cutting funding for dismantlement and environmental cleanup. For the same amount of money that Oregon taxpayers will shell out for nuclear weapons programs, we could fund 2,067 schoolteachers or cover the cost of medical care for 21,574 military veterans for one year.

Oregonians have a long history working to abolish nuclear weapons. In the 1980s and ’90s, hundreds of Oregon activists traveled to the test site in Nevada calling for an end to nuclear weapons testing. Their activism led the nation and former Sen. Mark Hatfield and Rep. Mike Kopetski to pass a moratorium in Congress on nuclear weapons testing in the U.S.

Building on that success, we call on the U.S. Senate to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty to permanently end nuclear testing worldwide. Our nation should lead by example, first by urging further reciprocal Russian reductions and then by engaging other nuclear nations to make reductions. Efforts must lead to the eventual elimination of all nuclear weapons.

During its operations, Hanford has released significant amounts of radioactive materials into the air and the Columbia River, threatening human health and our Northwest ecosystems. This site, the most contaminated in the Western Hemisphere, continues to spread contamination.

We call on Congress and the Obama administration to redirect funding from nuclear weapons development to cleanup efforts at Hanford so we can protect our air, the Columbia River and the health of future generations. Let this be our legacy instead of the continued insanity of nuclear weapons development.

Michael Carrigan is peace organizer for the Community Alliance of Lane County. Susan Cundiff serves on the national board of Women’s Action for New Directions. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemoration will begin with a potluck at 6:30 p.m. and a program at 7:30 p.m. on Monday at Alton Baker Park in Eugene.

WiLL Vice President in JTA

Admin — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 18:10:13 +0000

Op-Ed: On Tisha b’Av, let’s usher out the nuclear era

By Sandy Pappas

Published: July 25, 2012 by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency

OPINION

MINNEAPOLIS (JTA) -- As July ends and we wind down the Three Weeks before Tisha b’Av, we mourn the destruction of both Holy Temples. Unfortunately, this is not the only destruction that bears remembrance.

This August marks the 67th anniversary of the only time that nuclear weapons were ever used in warfare. The United States tested the first nuclear weapon in July 1945 and dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9 that year.

These events spawned the nuclear race, with 2,056 nuclear weapons tests conducted worldwide and new and more deadly weapons developed at a fast and furious pace. At the peak of the Cold War there were some 70,000 nuclear weapons.

Even though the numbers of nuclear weapons have decreased since the Cold War, enough of them are still around to blow up the planet. Ninety percent of the weapons are in the United States and Russia. America continues to rely on strategic plans, targeting and alert status settings that were conceived during the Cold War. We also spend billions of dollars each year to maintain our oversized arsenal.

In December 2010, the U.S. Senate approved the ratification of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with the support of our military leadership and bipartisan support from 71 senators, including all 13 Jewish senators in office at the time. New START reduced U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals and established a foundational process for verifying these and future reductions.

It is in America’s best interest to further this nuclear downsizing.

The Obama administration has been working on a plan to establish new policy guidance for the purpose, size and structure of U.S. nuclear weapons. Further reductions and a change in strategies are needed to meet 21st century security needs. As President Obama said in March, “We have more nuclear weapons than we need. 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.”

Other security experts agree. In April, Gen. James Cartwright, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and commander of U.S. nuclear forces under President George W. Bush, called for an 80 percent reduction in U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals. Further, Senate Armed Services Committee chair Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said in June, “I can’t see any reason for having as large an inventory as we are allowed to have under New START, in terms of real threat, potential threat. The more weapons that exist out there, the less secure we are rather than the more secure we are.”

Like Levin, I favor more security and fewer nuclear weapons. American leadership must take action to minimize nuclear dangers. Our nation should lead by example, first urging further reciprocal Russian nuclear reductions, then engaging other nuclear weapons countries to make reductions. We also should ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty to permanently end nuclear testing worldwide. Taking these steps will position the U.S. to effectively lead the world in thwarting new nuclear weapons development and combating nuclear terrorism.

We ushered in the nuclear era 67 years ago. Now we must do our part to help the world find a safe exit.

(Sandy Pappas, a state senator from Minnesota, is a founding member with her husband, Neal Gosman, of the Shir Tikvah congregation in the Twin Cities.)

Women Leading at New START Hearing

Admin — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:52:11 +0000

A year and half after ratification, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) conducted a hearing on June 21, 2012 to assess the progress of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty’s (New START) implementation. Not only was the hearing yet another step in reaffirming just how important New START is to our security and U.S.-Russia relations, it also set the scene for further reductions and deliberation down the road.

Testimony was given by acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs Madelyn Creedon, and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration and Under Secretary for Nuclear Security Thomas D’Agostino.

In addition to Committee Chair Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Ranking Member Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), both strong supporters of New START, a few additional Committee members participated in the hearing. Notably, New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), champion of nuclear arms control and WAND’s 2011 Torchbearer Award recipient, was there to ask crucial questions on topics ranging from how the New START treaty increases Russian transparency to the future of nuclear weapons in the American security strategy. Emphasizing the need and benefits of reducing the American stockpile, Sen. Shaheen argued that, “The treaty increases transparency, strengthens international stability and gives the Department of Defense the certainty it needs to protect our security in an efficient and cost-effective way.”

We, here at WAND, want to especially recognize the women leading on the nuclear security issue who were prominent at this hearing - Sen. Shaheen for her excellent questions and leadership, and Under Secretary Gottemoeller and Assistant Secretary Creedon for their excellent testimony and continuing dedicated work to reduce nuclear dangers. In a field largely dominated by men, it is refreshing to see women leading so effectively on security issues.

See a video of the hearing on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee website.

-Mylinda McDaniel, WAND Research Fellow - Doctoral Candidate at West Virginia University

Women Speak Up on New START!

Elizabeth Holland — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:46:56 +0000

Over the past few months, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the coverage of New START in the media. We’re excited that women’s voices have played such a prominent role in this national security conversation.

From Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and New START’s chief negotiator Rose Gottemoeller to WAND and WiLL members all over the country, women are weighing in and making their voices heard. Click the links below to read a sampling of women leaders appealing to our U.S. Senators to put national security ahead of politics and vote to ratify New START by the end of the year!

Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton: here

Rose Gottemoeller

Rose Gottemoeller, Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance: here

WiLL member, Rep Gail Riecken: here

WiLL member, Rep. Diane Russell (ME): here

WAND member, Bobbie Wrenn Banks (GA): here

WAND board member and Oregon WAND chapter leader Susan Cundiff (OR): here

Jeanne Shaheen

WiLL member, Rep. Karen Camper (TN): http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/nov/11/karen-camper-ratifying-new-start-is-a-senate/?partner=RSS

WiLL members Rep. Jennifer Seelig and Rep. Becky Edwards (UT): here

WAND member Judy Raines (TN): here

And these great women from partner organizations:

Elisabeth MacNamara, President of the League of Women Voters of the United States here

Rachel Kleinfeld, Chief Executive Officer of Truman National Security Project here