Senator Unhappy About Russian Nuclear Reductions

Today's top nuclear policy stories, with excerpts in bullet form.

Stories we're following today: Tuesday, June 14, 2011.

Kyl Gone Wild - William Hartung in TPM Cafe [link]

• Sen. Jon Kyl's (R-AZ) latest objection to the New START treaty is that Russia is reducing its arsenal more rapidly than expected … He argues Russia might have made its recent reductions without New START, [which] means the agreement amounts to a commitment to "unilateral reductions" on the part of the United States.
• But not only will New START lock in [these] reductions ... it made it easier for Moscow to contemplate and then implement these cuts. Knowing that the United States would be cutting back ... in a legally binding way gave Russia the reassurance it needed to go full speed ahead with planned reductions.
• We should pursue a new treaty that would implement deeper cuts...[Also,] the United States should accelerate its own reductions under the treaty.

Nuclear Paradox: Shrinking U.S. Arsenal Requires Huge New Expenditures - Loren Thompson in Forbes [link]

• Barack Obama is likely to spend more money on the U.S. nuclear arsenal than any U.S. president since Ronald Reagan…hundreds of billions of dollars [may] eventually be spent on new nuclear capabilities and infrastructure by a president who has repeatedly endorsed the goal of a nuclear-free world.
• The paradox is that the fewer weapons each side has the greater the danger of a surprise attack because at lower numbers it becomes easier for each country to disarm the other side…So ironically, as the size of the U.S. strategic arsenal shrinks, the government needs to spend huge amounts making sure what’s left is still an effective deterrent.
• For the time being conservatives and liberals alike are stuck with the paradoxes of surviving in the nuclear age. In President Obama’s case, that means spending a great deal of money on items you wish didn’t exist at all.

Statement of the United States to the CTBTO Preparatory Commission - Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller [link]

• I would like to assure you of President Obama’s unshakeable commitment to ratification of the CTBT by the United States and its entry into force at the earliest possible date.
• We have begun a process of engaging the Senate and the American public on the national security benefits of the CTBT. While we have no date in mind for a ratification vote, we will work to engage members of the Senate on the national security rationale behind our support for the CTBT.

North Korea Likely Can Miniaturize Nuclear Device: Seoul - Reuters [link]

• Kim Kwan-jin [South Korea's defense minister] offered no evidence to back his assertion but said the North had had enough time for such a development. "It has been quite a while, enough time for them to have succeeded in miniaturization," he told a parliamentary defense committee.
• If true, it would mark a key advance in the North's drive to develop a functioning nuclear weapon though that threat appears to be potential rather than actual.

What Could Possibly Be Wrong with Ratifying Nuclear Weapons Free Zones? Sen. Kyl? - Nukes of Hazard [link]

• The Obama administration’s recent submission to the Senate for ratification of two Nuclear Weapons Free Zones has prompted a backlash from Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ).
• The treaties can prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons usable technologies by requiring even stricter requirements than those in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
• Nonetheless, a terse press release from Sen. Kyl immediately followed the submission, condemning ratifying the treaties.
• For fifteen years we have supported these treaties and now, we can only benefit from ratifying them. Ratify-away, Senate.

Countdown to Zero Soon to Premiere in Britain - Ploughshares [link]

• Countdown to Zero is opening in the United Kingdom on June 21.
• If you’re in the United Kingdom, check out the opening of Countdown to Zero. If not, the film is available on DVD in the United States, and is just a few clicks away on Netflix’s Instant Watch for live streaming.