Lowering the alert levels in U.S. and Russia

The high alert levels for U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces are more political statements carried over from the Cold War than military necessities for the 21st century, according to a multinational study released last week. The study says that political leadership in Washington and Moscow, rather than military organizations, must take the lead on the issue, and concludes in part that de-alerting "is not possible without a regular dialogue on security issues and on strategic arms control." Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists, a Ploughshares grantee, said de-alerting is among the issues being analyzed in the Pentagon's Nuclear Posture Review.  When completed by the end of this year and approved by the White House, the review will set out the administration's strategic nuclear policies, including the appropriate alert levels.