by Kingston Reif Below are remarks delivered by Kingston Reif at a June 5 event hosted by the Stimson Center to discuss the release of a new report published by Stimson’s Budgeting for Foreign Affairs and Defense Program titled “Resolving Ambiguity: Costing Nuclear Weapons.” For more information about the event, see here. First off, let […]
Bipartisan Anti-Nuke Terror Legislation Introduced
6/6 11:25 AM: Moments ago the House Judiciary Committee favorably reported the implementing legislation to the full House. By Miles Pomper and Kingston Reif Earlier today, at long last, Republican and Democratic Members of the House Judiciary Committ…
NATO: Still Fighting the Last (Cold) War
NATO released a deterrence and defense posture review in May during the alliance’s summit in Chicago, but as I point out in a piece on our website, NATO is still clinging to outdated ideas rather than looking to the current and future security environment:
At the 2012 NATO summit in Chicago, the alliance had the chance to make changes that would more efficiently address 21st Century security challenges. Instead, it chose to remain mired in Cold War thinking. A review of its Deterrence and Defense Posture that was released during the summit calls nuclear weapons a “core component” of NATO capabilities and advocates no changes to current posture, even though the status quo includes antiquated systems and a missed opportunity to clarify and harmonize policies on when nuclear weapons might be used.
Nuclear Shields, Dull Swords
Check out my latest article about Global Zero’s U.S. Nuclear Policy Commission Report. Here’s the intro:
Earlier this month, Global Zero’s U.S. Nuclear Policy Commission, chaired by former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright, issued a report reevaluating US nuclear strategy and force posture. In the two decades since the end of the Cold War, the United States has not significantly altered its approach to nuclear deterrence. Although the United States has retired thousands of nuclear weapons since the Cold War, it still maintains a nuclear arsenal designed to promptly destroy Russia’s ability to wage nuclear war. The report highlights a growing consensus that such a posture does not comport with the 21st century security environment and is also financially unaffordable…
NATO: Still Fighting the Last (Cold) War
By Lesley McNiesh At the 2012 NATO summit in Chicago, the alliance had the chance to make changes to NATO’s nuclear posture that would align it with 21st century security challenges. Instead, it chose to remain mired in Cold War thinking. At the 2010 Lisbon summit, NATO mandated a review to accomplish the key task […]
