Nuclear Security News Vol. 1
The New START treaty has been ratified, and American inspectors will soon have access to Russian facilities for the first time in over a year. The diligent efforts of Consensus for American Security members was essential in making the national security argument for this important treaty.
The Consensus is looking to the future of the nuclear security agenda. The New START treaty still needs to be implemented. The United States and Russia still have far too many strategic and non-strategic nuclear weapons. American policymakers are still crafting our plans for missile defense. Most troubling of all, the United States faces the prospect of nuclear-armed adversaries and terrorists.
The Consensus will continue to be a source of non-partisan information and analysis, and we look to expand Consensus membership in the coming months.
My personal thanks to all Consensus members for your support and input.
Dr. Janne Nolan
Director of Nuclear Security
The American Security Project
Featured Consensus for American Security Member
Dr. Geoffrey Kemp
Geoffrey Kemp is the Director of Regional Strategic Programs at the Center for the National Interest. His current areas of interest focus on U.S. policy in the greater Middle East including the geopolitics of energy in the Caspian Basin and Persian Gulf, the Arab-Israeli peace process, and U.S. relations with Iraq and Iran. He received his Ph.D. in political science at M.I.T. and his M.A. and B.A. degrees from Oxford University. He served in the White House during the first Reagan administration and was Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for Near East and South Asia on the National Security Council Staff. Prior to his current position, he was a Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where he was Director of the Middle East Arms Control Project. In the 1970s he worked in the Defense Department in the Policy Planning and Program Analysis and Evaluation Offices and made major contributions to studies on U.S. security policy and options for South West Asia. Later this month, Dr. Kemp will address the Senate Observer Working Group, including several Consensus members, on the Iranian nuclear program
The Consensus in Action
On February 22nd, several Consensus members met with Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller to discuss the future of the nuclear security agenda. Several Consensus members assembled later that day at the Cosmos Club for a fruitful discussion of the future of the Consensus, and to discuss strategies for expanding membership. The day culminated in a dinner with the Senate Observer Working Group, where Consensus members and others heard remarks from Frank Miller of the Scowcroft Group and Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President Brian McKeon.
This month, Consensus members will meet with key Senate offices to help sustain bipartisan support for nuclear security established during the New START treaty debate. Also in April, Gen. John Adams will present a proposal on strategies for involving NATO allies in a productive discussion of missile defense policy to a select group in Washington DC.
Nuclear Security News
National Security Advisor Donilon lays out administration’s nuclear security agenda
Tom Donilon said that the administration intends to “keep up the momentum” on the Prague agenda in an address at the Carengie International Nuclear Policy Conference. He laid out the administration’s plans in four areas:
- Further global reductions: The administration will implement the New START treaty and secure funding to enable future reductions. The administration will also pursue reductions of tactical nuclear weapons with Russia and take steps to constrain the arsenals of other countries.
- Non-proliferation: The administration is “committed to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.” Donilon called North Korea “increasingly a direct threat to the security of the United States” and said that the country must “begin taking irreversible steps towards denuclearization.”
- Nuclear material security: The administration is working towards securing nuclear materials around the world. “Even in these difficult financial times, we cannot afford to skimp on essential national security needs.”
- Peaceful uses of nuclear energy: The crisis in Japan highlights the importance of tough nuclear safety standards. The United States is “working with nations around the world to ensure that they can access peaceful nuclear power without increasing the risks of proliferation.”
INSS report on Conventional Prompt Global Strike
The Institute for National Security Studies, part of the National Defense University, released a report on conventional prompt global strike, concluding that a CPGS capability “would be a valuable strategic asset.” CPGS would allow the United States to strike a target anywhere on earth within one hour.
The report states that “A long-range missile armed with a conventional warhead…might provide the best available means for achieving U.S. objectives in some plausible high-risk scenarios.”
Data exchanges under New START begin, inspections to begin in April
Russia and the United States have started exchanging information about their nuclear arsenals. American inspectors will begin inspecting Russian facilities later this month. American inspectors had been shut out of Russian facilities since the expiration of START I at the end of 2009. If the Senate had failed to ratify the treaty last year, those inspectors would still be in the dark.
These measures will increase transparency and enhance international stability. The Consensus for American Security was a vocal advocate for the ratification of New START, and continues to advocate for the implementation of this vital treaty.
