NCJ Number
192063
Date Published
July 2001
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This report assesses the prospects for reducing the roles and dangers of nuclear weapons within the context of global security.
Abstract
The analysis uses the perspectives of more than 30 experts on nuclear weapons and national security policy, chosen from a variety of backgrounds, government service, and regional sub-specialties. The analysis focuses on the global roles of nuclear weapons as they pertain to the security contexts of nuclear countries and recommends United States actions regarding each of the nuclear countries. It emphasizes that the changes that have brought into question the continued relevance of mutually assured destruction have presented opportunities for the United States to reduce the presence and prominence of nuclear weapons. Accomplishing this goal will require major new thinking within the United States nuclear policy establishment. The analysis next examines nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, and United States security and presents a set of core principles that should support and reflect United States commitment to a future where the roles, numbers, and relevance of nuclear weapons are significantly diminished. The report offers recommendations consistent with these core principles for nuclear testing, nuclear targeting, and ballistic missile defenses. The analysis concludes with a description of the end state to which these core principles should lead, the transition steps to reach this state, and the public role in engaging policymakers on these issues. This end state includes a much smaller number of nuclear weapons with lower perceived value, universal missile defenses that could protect any country from accidental or unauthorized launch or a rogue country, the destruction of excess weapons, and tight controls of reserved weapons.