Nuclear Posture Commission: Good on Stockpile Reductions, Bad on Test Ban Treaty
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 6, 2009
CONTACT: Travis Sharp
Washington, D.C. -- 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.
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