National Security Experts and Top Military Officials Unite to Ask for a Senate Vote on New START Treaty
WASHINGTON D.C., 17 November 2010 – Today members of the Consensus for American Security submitted a letter to Sen. Harry Reid and Sen. Mitch McConnell urging a Senate ratification vote on the New START Treaty as soon as possible.
Lt. Gen. Dirk Jameson, USAF (Ret.) said: “As someone who was at the very sharp end of the spear during the Cold War, commanding all U.S. ICBMs, I know what is at stake with this treaty. We need to get boots back on the ground monitoring Russian weapons, and we need to create stability between our nuclear forces. We need this treaty ratified as soon as possible.”
Dr. Janne Nolan, Director of Nuclear Security at the American Security Project, said: “This letter to the Senate leadership asking for a ratification vote on New START represents the overwhelming bipartisan consensus. Without New START, our security remains at risk. The Senate must act.”
Dear Senator Reid and Senator McConnell:
As retired military officers and national security experts who have spent our careers dedicated to protecting the security of the United States, we respectfully request you commit to a full Senate vote on ratification of the New START Treaty as soon as possible.
We ask the Senate to consider the consequences to our national security in delaying ratification of this vital treaty.
It has been 347 days since American inspectors left Russia, and every day uncertainty grows. Without New START in place, we have no on-site verification mechanisms in place to monitor Russian strategic forces.
Further delay will only risk misunderstanding and destabilization of the U.S. and Russian nuclear balance; set back other important non-proliferation priorities; and, put America needlessly at risk.
We urge all Senators to heed the words of our military leaders, including Admiral Mike Mullen, who said: “The military leadership in this country believes that this treaty is essential to our future security….I hope the Senate will ratify it quickly.”
As part of the vast consensus of national security professionals who have endorsed New START, we respectfully call on the Senate to ratify the New START Treaty.
Sincerely,
The Consensus for American Security
Brigadier General John Adams (U.S. Army, Ret.)
Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State
Dr. Graham Allison, former Special Advisor to the Secretary of Defense
Mary Catherine Andrews, former Special Assistant to the President
Scott Bates, former Senior Policy Advisor to the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee
Samuel Berger, former National Security Advisor
Dr. Barry Blechman, Assistant Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
Mark Brzezinski, former Director for Russian/Eurasian affairs at the National Security Council
Ambassador Richard Burt, U.S. Chief Negotiator in the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks
Lieutenant General John G. Castellaw (U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.)
Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney (U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.)
Joe Cirincione, President of the Ploughshares Fund
Nelson Cunningham, former Special Advisor to the President for Western Hemisphere Affairs
Dr. Sidney Drell, former Deputy Director of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Major General Paul Eaton (U.S. Army, Ret.)
Lieutenant General Robert Gard Jr. (U.S. Army, Ret.)
Dennis Gormley, Senior Research Fellow at the Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies
Vice Admiral Lee Gunn (U.S. Navy, Ret.)
Chuck Hagel, former Senator (R-NE)
Dr. Morton Halperin, former Special Assistant to the President
Major General Marcelite Harris (U.S. Air Force, Ret.)
Gary Hart, former Senator (D-CO)
Lieutenant General Arlen “Dirk” Jameson (U.S. Air Force, Ret.)
Brigadier General John H. Johns, PhD (U.S. Army, Ret.)
Dr. David Kay, former IAEA/UNSCOM Chief Nuclear Weapons Inspector
Dr. Geoffrey Kemp, former Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Lieutenant General Donald Kerrick (U.S. Army, Ret.)
Colonel Richard L. Klass (U.S. Air Force, Ret.)
Dr. Lawrence Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense
Rear Admiral Rosanne M. LeVitre (U.S. Navy, Ret.)
General Merrill “Tony” McPeak (U.S. Air Force, Ret.)
Dr. Janne E. Nolan, Director of Nuclear Security for the American Security Project
Admiral William Owens (U.S. Navy, Ret.), former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Ambassador Steven Pifer, former Senior Director for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia of the NSC Lieutenant General Norman Seip (U.S. Air Force, Ret.)
Lieutenant General Harry E. Soyster (U.S. Army, Ret.)
George P. Shultz, former U.S. Secretary of State
Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman, former Counselor for the State Department and Special Advisor to President Clinton
Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, former Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Strobe Talbott, former Deputy Secretary of State
Lieutenant General James M. Thompson (U.S. Army, Ret.)
Major General Jasper Welch (U.S. Air Force, Ret.)
#END#
About the Consensus for American Security: The Consensus for American Security is a non-partisan group of influential military and national security leaders who have come together to highlight growing support for a new and sustainable nuclear weapons policy. The Consensus is an initiative of the American Security Project. For more information, visit www.securityconsensus.org.
