U.S. senior military officer calls for new nuclear weapons


From: Eddie
Date: Mar 5, 2008 4:12 PM




NUK'EM - US Air Force General Kevin Chilton said the United States will need nuclear weapons as a deterrent for the rest of the 21st century and should move now to field more modern weapons.
(AFP/File/Tim Sloan)

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US needs nuclear weapons for rest of century: general
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AFP News
Tue Mar 4, 2008

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080304/ ... itarynuclear_080304194546

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The commander of US strategic forces said Tuesday the United States will need nuclear weapons as a deterrent for the rest of the 21st century and should move now to field more modern weapons.

Air Force General Kevin Chilton said new, more reliable nuclear weapons would enable the United States to reduce the large inventory of non-deployed weapons it keeps as a hedge.

"As we look to the future -- and I believe we are going to need a nuclear deterrent for this country for the remainder of this century, the 21st century -- I think what we need is a modernized nuclear weapon to go with our modernized delivery platforms," he told reporters.

The administration has requested 10 million dollars for the program in its 2009 budget request even though the US Congress turned down a similar request in its previous budget submission.

It also is seeking 100 million dollars for a plant to make nuclear triggers for the new weapon.

The program is controversial in part because it runs counter to the US obligation under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to work toward bringing its stockpile to zero.

"I'm the father of two children, and I would love to have them grow up in a nuclear-free world, absolutely," said Chilton. "But I'm not for unilateral disarmament. I also want them to grow up free."

Chilton, who heads the US Strategic Command, said the new weapons would be designed to be more reliable, safer and more secure than those in the existing stockpile.

New infrastructure to build and maintain the weapons also would enable the United States to reduce its hedge stockpile, he said.

"As long as there are other countries in the world that possess enough nuclear weapons to destroy the United States of America, we will have to deter those countries," he said.

He said his command needed to do technical studies over the next year to present the new administration early next year with a "decision package" on which way they want to go.

"I really think now is the time to act on this. This is not something that we can continue to either not talk about or to kick down the road for future generations," he said.

The United States currently has about 6,000 deployed nuclear warheads but is required to come down to 2,200 by 2012 under the 2002 Moscow Treaty.




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U.S. senior military officer calls for new, modern nuclear weapons
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www.chinaview.cn
2008-03-05

WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. should develop a new and modern arsenal of nuclear weapons as it reduces the warheads at hand, a high-level military officer said on Tuesday.

"So long as there are other countries in the world that possess enough nuclear weapons to destroy the United States of America and our way of life, we will have to deter those types of countries," said Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, head of the military's Strategic Command.

As a deterrent to attacks from other nations in the 21st century, the U.S. defense department should develop an improved nuclear weapon, he told reporters.

Chilton also noted that the U.S. existing warheads inventory is "too big, bigger than they need to be," although the number of the nuclear weapons has been significantly reduced.

He estimated that the number would be continue to decline to 25percent of the total during the Cold War by 2012.

However, some critics raised their concern that if U.S. develops a new arsenal of nuclear weapons, other countries would also follow the move. They also warned that the U.S. should be very careful about the signal it sends to other nuclear powers in the world.