Young Voices Critical to Advancing Nuclear Security
This op-ed by outreach coordinator Katie Mounts, was published in the Brunswick Times Record on April 25, 2010.
I was born into the millennial generation in 1985. I have no memory of the Soviet Union. “Fat Man” to me refers to a Chris Farley dance in the movie “Tommy Boy.” And “duck and cover” in my elementary years meant we would get to play “Heads Down, Thumbs Up.”
In a funny twist of fate, however, despite a lack of experience with these symbols of the Cold War, it may be my generation that will be left to clean up the nuclear weapons mess that remains from it.
While military and policy leaders from across the political spectrum agree that the spread of nuclear weapons and materials is the greatest threat to our nation’s security, 23,000 nuclear weapons still remain in the world today, approximately 20,000 of which are possessed by the United States and Russia. Terrorist groups like al-Qaida seek to get their hands on these materials, and two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the threat posed by nuclear weapons is as real as ever.
Indeed, the greatest national security threat for my generation is no longer determined by which countries possess nuclear weapons — it is the very existence of the weapons themselves.
It is widely acknowledged that we millennials, as the first generation to have grown up with the Internet, have a uniquely global lens through which they see the world. It is with this global perspective that we can offer fresh viewpoints on the global threats posed by arsenals of the past.
We seem to stand today at a hopeful moment in the history of nuclear weapons. There is a real, bipartisan consensus from military and policy leaders on the need to reduce the threat posed by nuclear weapons by securing nuclear weapons-usable materials, reducing the size of existing arsenals and preventing their further spread.
The Obama administration has already started to move us in that direction through the release of a “Nuclear Posture Review” that lessens the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security policy, the signing of a “New START” nuclear reductions agreement with Russia, and the convening of a summit with more than 40 heads of state to discuss how best to secure vulnerable nuclear materials worldwide.
This bipartisan nuclear security agenda is advanced and advocated by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and current and former military and policy leaders from across the political spectrum.
The voices of young people will be essential to the outcome of these efforts to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons. The power of youth and student voices has been evident in the anti-war, global warming, and “Save Darfur” movements — and especially relevant in the 2008 elections. It seems only appropriate that younger generations play a key role in these debates, as it is our futures, and our children’s futures, that are being shaped. The nuclear weapons policies advanced today — for better or worse — will have a profound impact on the security of the world left to us by our predecessors.
As someone working within the nuclear arms control “community” in Washington, D.C., I have had the opportunity to see this youth movement start to take hold. As the coordinator of my organization’s internship program, I have seen the quality and quantity of our applicants’ experience with nuclear weapons issues rise greatly over the last several years, thanks in part to the recent resurgence of nuclear weapons in our national security debate and to efforts of non-governmental organizations to educate and engage students across the country.
College debaters this academic year focused on nuclear reductions, and the number of student chapters of groups like “Global Zero,” dedicated to reducing and eventually eliminating nuclear weapons stockpiles, has been on the rise.
As the coordinator of my organization’s nationwide military outreach program, which earlier this month brought a retired colonel, a medical doctor, and myself to Maine, I’ve had the opportunity to see students’ curiosities piqued and watch them translate this interest in nuclear weapons into campus activism and professional opportunities.
As the involvement of young people in current debates about nuclear weapons grows, momentum builds for a more secure global future. The road to a world free from the threats of nuclear weapons may be long, but current efforts can get America securely onto the right path.
My generation has been offered a unique opportunity to take the reins — and I believe we’re ready to lead.
Katie Mounts directs the communications and outreach work of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and its sister organization and advocacy center, Council for a Livable World, in Washington, D.C. For more information on how you can get involved in the Center’s non-proliferation efforts, including how to take part in the April 20th national call for interested students and young professionals, visit the Center online at www.armscontrolcenter.org or contact the author at kmounts@armscontrolcenter.org or 202-546-0795, ext. 2109.
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