Jameson: A real opportunity to remold nuclear policies for this century
In his op-ed on the Hill’s Congressional Blog, LtGen Dirk Jameson USAF (Ret), notes that the current review of nuclear security strategy offers a real opportunity the modernize and strengthen our national security.
He notes:
Our present nuclear war-fighting strategy is outdated and geared against an enemy that hasn’t existed for 20 years — the Soviet Union.
Today, the greatest threats to our nation’s security are weapons of mass destruction — whether nuclear, biological, or chemical — in the hands of terrorist organizations or rogue states in unstable regions.
These threats are not deterred by America’s massive arsenal of 1,550 deployed nuclear weapons, or the thousands more we have in reserve. Indeed, these weapon systems are of limited practical use and pose tremendous costs that we can ill afford.
Jameson goes on to say:
The bottom line is that with modern nuclear strategy and geopolitical reality, we no longer require a massive and complex Cold-War-era nuclear force. We can reduce the numbers of these weapons while still providing our nation with a strong and appropriate deterrent.
Let’s get on with this task — so we can focus on truly strengthening our national security.
You can read the whole post here.
Jameson served as Deputy Commander in Chief and Chief of Staff of U.S. Strategic Command before retiring from the U.S. Air Force in 1996 after more than three decades of active service. He is a member of the Consensus for American Security.
