The
Boston Globe: US officials are questioning why the US still
pursues a foreign policy strategy based on the ability to
annihilate Russia.In a thorough review expected to be completed
in March, the size, structure, and mission of the US nuclear
arsenal are being reconsidered as part of President Obama's
public pledge to reduce the role of nuclear weapons.Obama has
already reached a tentative agreement with Russia to reduce the
number of strategic nuclear warheads on both sides from about
2200 to between 1500 and 1675 in the next several years, while
also slashing number of missiles designed to carry them to
between 500 and 1000. The
Nuclear
Posture Review, led by the US Defense Department, could
recommend going even further, to 1000 warheads or fewer.For the
first time, influential voices, including a former top nuclear
commander and senior Obama advisers, are proposing that one leg
of the nuclear arms "triad''— a $30 billion-a-year
enterprise made up of land-, air-, and sea-based
weapons—be eliminated.
