ACA and NSN See No Link Between ICBM Incident and New START

Last week a computer glitch caused 50 ICBMs to go offline in Wyoming. Since that time, advocates on all sides of the arms control debate have latched onto the event as a manifestation of both the idiocy and necessity of a massive nuclear arsenal. So what did this malfunction really mean for U.S. national security?

Ploughshares grantees at the National Security Network (NSN) and the Arms Control Association (ACA) have been exploring this question and have recently released briefers on the impact of the ICBM incident.

NSN argues that the ICBM communication failure did not undermine the U.S. deterrent capability at all. Even while the missiles were down, the U.S. still had around 400 ready-to-launch ICBMs aimed at targets abroad. If anything, the event in Wyoming should draw attention to the obvious overkill mentality that accompanies nuclear strategy. Furthermore, NSN concludes that the ICBM glitch does not change the military calculus with regard to the New START Treaty:

New START has the "unanimous support of America's military leadership" and the Senate will likely consider it when it returns to work after the elections. This important treaty has deep support from military and national security leaders from both sides of the aisle, and the computer glitch at F.E. Warren in no way compromised that support.

According to NSN, New START remains a national security priority that reestablishes strategic stability between the United States and Russia.

ACA also took a further look at the ICBM incident and arrived at similar conclusions. For starters, the 50 missiles that were compromised actually could have been launched at any time by airborne command and control systems. The redundancies built into the nuclear weapons network account for such small glitches and communications failures. Moreover, approximately 1,900 other nuclear weapons were deployed and ready for use at the same time.

In a response to Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), who referred to the ICBM incident as evidence that the U.S. needs to modernize its nuclear weapons before considering the New START Treaty, ACA underlined the fact that New START does not prevent any improvements to the nuclear infrastructure. In fact, the military is planning on investing $80 billion in its nuclear weapons and production complex and $100 billion in its nuclear delivery systems over the next decade. How could Barrasso want more?

“It should be noted,” writes Tom Collina of ACA, “that Sen. Barrasso’s state is host to Warren Air Force Base and its 150 ICBMs, and that New START could reduce that force.” It is fair to say that Barrasso wants to keep the nuclear pork flowing.