In Letter to Obama, Markey encourages President to Dramatically Alter our Nuclear Weapons Mission

 WASHINGTON, D.C. –Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment and the founder of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation, today wrote to President Obama encouraging him to dramatically rethink the way nuclear weapons are used in our country.Markey urged President Obama to continue his strong leadership on nuclear arms control and nonproliferation with the administration’s forthcoming Nuclear Posture Review, which formally defines the missions and requirements for the U.S. nuclear arsenal. 

“In only a few short months in office, President Obama has reestablished the United States as the global leader in nuclear arms control and nonproliferation,” said Markey. “By incorporating my common-sense recommendations, the President’s forthcoming Nuclear Posture Review can make our nation stronger and safer by enacting long-overdue changes to the missions and requirements of U.S. nuclear weapons.  These proposed changes to our nuclear posture will turn the President’s clear goals for nuclear arms control into concrete actions.”

In his letter, Rep. Markey asks President Obama to consider incorporating six critical elements into the formal Nuclear Posture Review:

-Limit the mission of U.S. nuclear weapons to deterring a nuclear attack against the United States or its allies;
-End the requirement for “high-alert” or “hair-trigger” launch capability;
-Formally pledge that the United States will not be the first to use nuclear weapons;
-Reduce the U.S. nuclear stockpile to fewer than 1,0000 total warheads;
-State that the United States will not design and build new nuclear warheads, or modify old ones to create new military capabilities;
-Call for U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
 

The full text of the letter can be found here: http://markey.house.gov/docs/11.16.09nuclearposturereview.pdf