CIAO DATE: 04/05

Senate Vote on New Nuclear Weapons: Bad Move

Alistair Millar

May 2003

Fourth Freedom Forum

The Senate voted on May 20th to repeal a decade-long ban on researching the development of new, smaller nuclear weapons. The decision was a dangerous step in the wrong direction, signaling to the world that the United States will be increasing its reliance on nuclear weapons. According to Senator John Kyl, "In this new world, there could well be reason to have these weapons." But what reason could there be for developing and using nuclear weapons? Resuming research and development of new nuclear weapons will jeopardize, not enhance U.S. security.

Nuclear bombs with smaller blast yields cannot be used without creating substantial collateral damage.

If the United States begins to research and develop new nuclear weapons, this might compel other countries to embark upon their own programs in an effort to join the nuclear club. If potential proliferators believe that the U.S. may launch a nuclear attack, they may respond, as North Korea seems to be doing, by accelerating their nuclear program? Arms control agreements have successfully discouraged most countries from developing nuclear weapons by assuring them that nuclear states will not strike first. Now this policy has been reversed. The Senate's recent vote will further undermine international efforts toward non-proliferation.

Despite these considerations, Congress has now given the green light on research into using nuclear weapons in small-scale conventional conflicts against rogue dictators. The White House has already taken a number of steps toward building small nukes by pushing for the resumption of nuclear weapons explosive testing and outlining contingencies for using nuclear weapons in future conflicts. This year, the National Nuclear Security Administration is working on a study to build a nuclear bunker buster. Secretary Rumsfeld assures us that the effort is only a study, but his words seem to signal a willingness actually to use such weapons in Iraq-like settings: "Low-yield nuclear weapons may be useful in destroying deadly chemical and biological weapons stocks."

The current moratorium on nuclear testing is next on the chopping block. Last fall the Bush administration's Nuclear Weapons Council concluded that it would "be desirable" to consider returning to nuclear testing. To this end, President Bush is seeking funds to reduce the amount of time it takes to carry out a technically significant nuclear test explosion from the current 24 - 36 months to 18 months. Even though our closest allies in NATO have ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the White House continues to show no interest in ratifying the treaty. Some of Bush's advisors have even argued that the U.S. should withdraw from the treaty. The Republican-led House Armed Services Committee released a report earlier this year recommending that Congress consider development of a new nuclear weapon and enhanced test readiness.

Production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons is also under way for the first time in almost 15 years. In recent years, American nuclear weapons laboratories have reinvigorated the push to redesign or develop new models of nuclear weapons, claiming that it would benefit US security to develop and deploy nuclear bunker busters capable of reaching buried targets. In April, Los Alamos National Laboratory completed production of the first nuclear weapons pit for use in nuclear warheads deployed on submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs). How can the U.S. expect other nations to refrain from producing nuclear warheads when it is already reinstating its own nuclear warhead production?

The aim of U.S. nuclear policy should be not to increase, but decrease, the role of all U.S. nuclear weapons. Those in Congress who are offering amendments to reduce the damage of this dangerous shift in policy should be commended for their efforts. Controlling and reducing existing nuclear weapons and materials, rather than building new ones, is the more prudent strategy for enhancing security preventing nuclear terrorism here and abroad.

See also: Uncovered Nukes: Arms Control and Tactical Nuclear Weapons

Alistair Millar is vice president of the Fourth Freedom Forum and director of its Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Millar was a senior analyst at the British American Security Information Council. He has written on a wide range of issues, including the foundation of NATO, Soviet foreign policy, and NATO expansion. His opinion editorials and articles have appeared in publications and periodicals including the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Defense News, and The Journal of International Affairs.