Arms reduction must remain a priority

Though the president has spoken of achieving a nuclear weapons free world, it remains to be seen if he can actually deliver concrete progress toward that goal. Secretary of Defense Gates has spoken out in favor of modernizing the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal, including supporting new warhead designs. But pursuing new nuclear weapons, like the Bush administration's Reliable Replacement Warhead, would undermine international nonproliferation efforts and send the wrong signal to the rest of the world.

The Obama administration is working on its Nuclear Posture Review, which will set U.S. nuclear weapons policy for the next five to 10 years. The president's Nuclear Posture Review must reject outdated Cold War thinking and policies if it is to put us on a path toward a safer world without nuclear weapons.

The ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty by the U.S. would enhance both our own and global security. Nuclear weapons testing fuels arms races and undermines the nonproliferation regime by allowing nuclear weapons states to develop deadlier weapons and enabling new nuclear weapons states to emerge. Despite the end of the Cold War, there are more than 20,000 nuclear weapons in the world today. The large stockpiles of the U.S. and Russia increase the risk of accidental launches or theft, making negotiations for deep stockpile reductions with Russia an essential step forward.

David Corcoran

Des Plaines