Front and Center: March 16 to March 27, 2015
WHAT’S NEW:
Laicie Heeley is keeping up her “regular” status on MSNBC’s “The Ed Show” segment. Last week, she was featured to discuss the Israeli elections as well as tensions within the U.S. over Iran. Watch her interview on our site.
Thursday’s “vote-a-rama” in the Senate saw no shortage of offers for amendments on national security and foreign policy. The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, among other organizations, provided this short list of which amendments were yea-worthy and which were nay-worthy. Read it here.
Board Chair Receives Great Honor
This week, Chair of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Board Lt. General Robert Gard was awarded the Global Citizen award from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, where he served a decade as President Emeritus. Only two others, Robert McNamara and Ted Turner, have been awarded this great honor. Congratulations, General Gard!
Picking Sides in the Budget Battle
This year’s budget bartering resulted in some partisan infighting within the Republican-led Congress between the debt-fearing fiscal conservatives and those seeking hikes in defense spending. In an article published in Defense One,Angela Canterbury and Center Board Chair Lt. General Robert Gard urge Congress to listen to the fiscal hawks and not the defense hawks. [3/19]
READ:
In a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal, Policy Director Laicie Heeley sets the record straight on a misguided op-ed by former Senator Joseph Lieberman on the Iran deal. Read Laicie’s letter to learn more. [3/25]
Breaking Defense published an article this week by the Center Board Member and Senior Science Fellow Philip Coyle on the need for a new approach to missile defense. In a time where new threats outpace our missile defense systems, Coyle asks our top military leaders to be honest with us (and themselves) about the practicality and affordability of these programs. Read the article from Phil here. [3/25]
In a Nukes of Hazard Blog post, Scoville Fellow Greg Terryn outlines how, in times of budgetary constraint, there’s a precedent of military cutbacks on extraneous programs. In the current fiscal climate, he argues similar reductions might be on the horizon. Read more on the Nukes of Hazard Blog[3/20]
Saving $43 Billion at the Pentagon
The Council and Center organized a letter to Congress on how to safely give the Pentagon a $43 billion haircut. It was sent ahead of the budget debate and was signed by groups from across the ideological spectrum. Where will the money come from? Read our letter to the budget committees and the follow up to all members of congress [3/17]
This week, 25 organizations signed on to a letter supporting the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) Act to rein in spending. “Pouring more than $1 trillion taxpayer dollars over the next three decades into last century’s weapons is a nonsensical national security strategy,” said Angela Canterbury in a press release by the bill’s sponsors Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Earl Blumenauer.Read the full press release to learn more. [3/23]
BE SOCIAL:
Here’s what’s been making the biggest splash on our @nukes_of_hazard Twitter over the past few weeks—don’t forget to re-Tweet!
