THE LARGE NUMBER OF RUSSIAN TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED – BUT THIS CAN ONLY BE DONE IF THE NEW START TREATY IS RATIFIED
THE LARGE NUMBER OF RUSSIAN TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED – BUT THIS CAN ONLY BE DONE IF THE NEW START TREATY IS RATIFIED
Washington, D.C., August 17, 2010 – Following concerns raised in the media that the New START Treaty does not limit the large numbers of Russian tactical nuclear weapons; Consensus members Lt Gen Arlen “Dirk” Jameson (U.S. Air Force, RET) and Lt Gen John Castellaw (U.S. Marine Corp, RET) agree that this urgently needs to be addressed.
Lt Gen Arlen “Dirk” Jameson (U.S. Air Force, RET), former Deputy Commander in Chief and Chief of Staff of U.S. Strategic Command, said: “ The New START Treaty – as its name suggests – deals with the largest and most threatening strategic nuclear weapons. We agree that the large Russian arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons pose a risk to U.S. and allied security. But we cannot move forward to tackle this urgent challenge until we have a verifiable agreement that stabilizes the strategic nuclear balance, and that can only happen when the senate ratifies the New START Treaty.”
Lt Gen John Castellaw (U.S. Marine Corp, RET), a former US Central Command Chief of Staff, went further and stated: “without the ratification of New START, we have no verifiable limits on strategic weapons and we lack vital intelligence to monitor Russian nuclear forces.”
Castellaw noted: “in the overwhelming view of the vast majority of national security experts, including our own joint chiefs, New START offers a verifiable regime aligned to the present day realities. We need New START now. Only then can we can move forward to the issues around tactical nuclear weapons”
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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.
