May, 06 2009, 02:46pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Travis Sharp,202.546.0795 ext. 2105,tsharp@armscontrolcenter.org
Nuclear Posture Commission: Good on Stockpile Reductions, Bad on Test Ban Treaty
WASHINGTON
In response to today's
release of the final report by the Congressional Commission on the
Nuclear Strategic Posture of the United States, the Center for Arms
Control and Non-Proliferation issued an analysis assessing the good and
the bad in the Commission's findings.
The Commission was a twelve-member bipartisan group created by Congress
as part of the Defense Authorization Act of 2008. It was co-chaired by
former Secretaries of Defense William Perry and James Schlesinger.
"As one might expect given the diverse make-up of the
Commission, the final report offers a mixture of good and bad
recommendations," said John Isaacs, executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. "I
believe the most positive element is the report's endorsement of
reducing U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles. This endorsement will
bolster President Obama's efforts to negotiate a successor to the START
treaty, which expires at the end of the year."
Read the Center's full analysis online.
The Center applauded the Commission report's endorsement of U.S.
leadership on nuclear issues and sustaining and strengthening the
global nonproliferation regime. However, the Center counted as flaws
the report's failure to recommend ratification of the Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty, overemphasis on the importance of extended nuclear
deterrence, and the one-sided assessment of the Stockpile Stewardship
Program, especially the Life Extension Program.
"The report fails to recognize that the United States
needs to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and that doing so
will enhance U.S. security," added Isaacs.
Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan research organization dedicated to enhancing international peace and security in the 21st century. The Center is funded by grants from private foundations and the generosity of thousands of individual donors.
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