Obama at One Year: "A" for Transforming Nuclear Policy, "Incomplete" For Execution

The Center for
Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, one of the nation's major arms control
organizations, gave President Barack Obama a grade of "A" for transforming United States
nuclear weapons policy during his first year in office and an "Incomplete" for
completing the new policy initiatives he has launched.

John Isaacs, the Center's executive director, praised the President for
"elevating the attention of the world on the
23,000 nuclear weapons remaining across the globe and the danger that some of
these weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists."

Isaacs added: "President Obama's
forthrightness about the dangers of nuclear weapons and the need to take
immediate action to avoid a nuclear holocaust constitute the most significant
remarks by an American President on nuclear disarmament in the last half
century."

On April 5, after less than three months in office, President Obama
delivered one
of the most significant speeches of the nuclear age. He stated:

"As the only
nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral
responsibility to act. We cannot succeed in this endeavor alone, but we can
lead it, we can start it . . . I
state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the
peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons."

On September 24, the President secured unanimous
United Nations Security Council approval for the objective of a world free
of nuclear weapons.

Lt. Gen. Robert Gard (U.S Army, ret.) the Center's chairman, emphasized
that "while Obama's first year vision was
vital, the ultimate judgment on Obama's performance will be based on how he
begins to realize this vision over the coming months and years."

Gard pointed to the following key steps ahead:

>
Completion and ratification of a new nuclear
reductions treaty with Russia;

> Commencement of negotiations with Russia on the
next nuclear reductions agreement, ideally down to a level of 1,000 nuclear
weapons total for each side;

>
Completion of a Nuclear Posture Review that revamps American nuclear policy;

>A
new budget providing resources to begin securing all vulnerable nuclear
material around the world within three or four years;

> A
successful Global
Nuclear Security Summit in April;

> A
successful Nuclear
Non-ProliferationTreaty Review Conference in May;

>The
launch of an aggressive campaign to win ratification of the Comprehensive
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty;

>An
international agreement to launch talks to end the production of fissile
materials for military purposes;

>Successful
negotiations with Iran and North Korea to
terminate their nuclear weapons programs.

"This President deserves the Nobel
Peace Prize for his vision and the initiatives he has launched, and we will
work closely with him to realize that vision," concluded Gard.