Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Author: A. Stanley Thompson

  • 2017 Sadako Peace Day: August 9th

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation invites you to attend the 23rd annual Sadako Peace Day. It will take place on Wednesday, August 9, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at La Casa de Maria (800 El Bosque Road, Montecito, CA 93108). There will be music, poetry, and reflection to remember the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and all innocent victims of war. The event is free and open to the public. Click here to RSVP to the event on Facebook.

    For more information about Sadako Peace Day, including photos from previous years’ events, click here.

    Sadako Peace Day 2017

  • Statement at the United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons

    Rick Wayman, NAPF’s Director of Programs and Operations, delivered this statement to the United Nations Conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination, on June 16, 2017. The text of the final treaty, adopted on July 7, 2017, is here.

    wayman_un

    Thank you Madame President,

    Nuclear deterrence, the logic it professes, and the practices it justifies, are reckless, costly, and completely counterproductive to the aims of global security. We agree with Indonesia, which has highlighted the need to delegitimize nuclear deterrence as a concept.

    I refer you to our Working Paper 39, which presents reasons why nuclear deterrence is inadequate and flawed as a means of providing security, and is antithetical to the goal of comprehensive nuclear disarmament.

    Relying on the constant threat of nuclear weapons use, nuclear deterrence in any form cannot coexist with the pursuit of comprehensive nuclear disarmament.

    Therefore, we encourage the inclusion of a clause in the preamble of the treaty to the effect of:

    “Understanding that nuclear deterrence is only an unproven hypothesis regarding human behavior — one that does not provide physical protection and could fail catastrophically.”

    In addition, since nuclear deterrence constitutes an ongoing threat of nuclear weapons use, we support proposals outlined by South Africa and Iran, and backed by numerous states, to include the threat of use of nuclear weapons in the preamble.

    Thank you, Madame President.

    Video of NAPF’s statement begins at 24:20.

     

  • Sunflower Newsletter: June 2017

    Issue #239 – June 2017
    Donate Now!

    Help us sustain the movement for peace and Nuclear Zero. Shop at our online store, choose NAPF as your charity of choice when checking out at smile.amazon.com, or ask your employer whether they can match your tax-deductible donation to NAPF. Please make a meaningful donation today and honor someone special in your life.

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    • Perspectives
      • Averting the Ticking Time Bomb of Nukes in North Korea by Richard Falk and David Krieger
      • U.S. Prepares to Confront Nuclear Ban Treaty with Smart Bombs by Rick Wayman
    • U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
      • Fire at Plutonium Facility Puts Future of Nuclear Weapons Lab in Question
      • North Korea Accuses U.S. and South Korea of Nuclear Bomb-Dropping Drill
    • Nuclear Disarmament
      • Draft Ban Treaty Released Ahead of Second Round of Negotiations
    • Missile Defense
      • Highly Scripted Missile Defense Test Called a “Success”
    • War and Peace
      • Americans Who Can Find North Korea on a Map Are More Likely to Prefer Diplomacy
      • North Korea Test Fired Three Missiles in May
    • Nuclear Modernization
      • New ICBM Estimated to Cost $85 Billion and Climbing
      • Radioactive Waste Tunnel Collapses While U.S. Spends Billions on New Nuclear Weapons
    • Resources
      • This Month in Nuclear Threat History
      • Accountability Audit
      • We’re Edging Closer to Nuclear War
    • Foundation Activities
      • NAPF Representatives Lobby Congress
      • Final Negotiations for a Nuclear Ban Treaty
      • Poetry Contest Deadline Is July 1
    • Quotes

     

    Perspectives

    Avoiding the Ticking Time Bomb of Nukes in North Korea

    by Richard Falk and David Krieger

    Alarmingly, tensions between the United States and North Korea have again reached crisis proportions. The unpredictable leaders of both countries are pursuing extremely provocative and destabilizing patterns of behavior. Where such dangerous interactions lead no one can now foresee. The risk of this tense situation spiraling out of control should not be minimized.

    To read the full article in The Hill, click here.

    U.S. Prepares to Confront Nuclear Ban Treaty with Smart Bombs

    by Rick Wayman

    On May 23, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a press release celebrating President Trump’s proposed 2018 budget. DOE specifically lauded the proposed “$10.2 billion for Weapons Activities to maintain and enhance the safety, security, and effectiveness of our nuclear weapons enterprise.”

    Less than 24 hours earlier, Ambassador Elayne Whyte of Costa Rica released a draft of a treaty banning nuclear weapons. Over 130 nations have participated in the ban treaty negotiations thus far. A final treaty text is expected by early July.

    No one is surprised at President Trump’s proposed funding for nuclear weapons activities; in fact, it is largely a continuation of the U.S. nuclear “modernization” program that began under President Obama. What is alarming, however, is the tacit admission by the Department of Energy that it is not simply maintaining current U.S. nuclear warheads until such time as they are eliminated. Rather, it is enhancing the “effectiveness” of nuclear weapons by incorporating new military capabilities into new weapons expected to be active through the final decades of the 21st century.

    To read more, click here.

    U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy

    Fire at Plutonium Facility Puts Future of Nuclear Weapons Lab in Question

    The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board will hold a hearing on June 7 to discuss the future of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the United States’ main nuclear weapons facilities. A fire broke out at a Los Alamos plutonium facility in mid-April. The Board is unsure whether Los Alamos is competent to continue to operate and handle increasing quantities of plutonium in the coming years.

    Jay Coghlan, Executive Director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, said, “Fattening up our already bloated nuclear weapons stockpile is not going to improve our national security. New Mexicans desperately need better funded schools and health care, not expanded plutonium pit production that will cause more pollution and threaten our scarce water resources.”

    “Fire Raises Questions About Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Safety,” Associated Press, May 27, 2017.

    North Korea Accuses U.S. and South Korea of Nuclear Bomb-Dropping Drill

    North Korea lashed out at the U.S. and South Korea for conducting what it calls a “nuclear bomb-dropping drill” with B-1B strategic bombers on May 29. North Korea claimed the B-1B bombers, which are currently deployed to Guam, flew over South Korea and approached an area 80 km east of Gangneung, an eastern city near the Military Demarcation Line that serves as the border between the two Koreas.

    Contrary to North Korea’s claim, the B-1B bombers no longer carry nuclear weapons, though they were nuclear-capable for a time. According to the U.S. Air Force, the conversion to an all-conventional mission for B-1 aircraft was completed in March 2011.

    A report by the state-run Korean Central News Agency said, “Such military provocation of the U.S. imperialists is a dangerous reckless racket for bringing the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a war.”

    Jesse Johnson, “North Korea Blasts South for ‘Nuclear Bomb-Dropping’ Drill with U.S. B-1B Strategic Bomber,” Japan Times, May 30, 2017.

    Nuclear Disarmament

    Draft Ban Treaty Released Ahead of Second Round of Negotiations

    On May 22, a United Nations disarmament panel released the first draft of a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. Negotiations among 130+ nations at the United Nations will resume on June 15 in New York. The agenda currently calls for a final treaty to be prepared by July 7. The United States and the world’s eight other nuclear-armed nations have thus far boycotted the negotiations.

    The draft treaty would commit signers to “never use nuclear weapons” and never “develop, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.”

    Representatives of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will be actively participating in the negotiations at the UN in the coming weeks.

    Rick Gladstone, “UN Panel Releases Draft of Treaty to Ban Nuclear Arms,” The New York Times, May 22, 2017.

    Missile Defense

    Highly Scripted Missile Defense Test Called a “Success”

    On May 30, the United States conducted a test of its Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. A mock enemy missile was launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, and an interceptor missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The test, which cost $244 million, was hailed as a “success” by missile defense proponents because the interceptor missile destroyed the mock incoming missile.

    However, the GMD system is far from having proven itself as a viable system that can work under real-world conditions. Operators knew the date and time of the “enemy” launch, as well as the exact location from which the enemy missile would be fired. They also knew the exact specs of the enemy missile, enabling them to better anticipate its trajectory. The weather was clear, and the test took place during daylight hours. Few, if any, of these conditions are likely to be present in a real-world scenario. This makes any claim of this test being a “success” an exaggeration at best.

    David Willman, “Pentagon Successfully Tests Missile Defense System Amid Rising Concerns About North Korea,” Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2017.

    War and Peace

    Americans Who Can Find North Korea on a Map Are More Likely to Prefer Diplomacy

    A new experiment conducted in April reveals some surprising correlations between one’s political preferences and geographical literacy.

    Those who were able to identify North Korea on a map tended to favor nonviolent, diplomatic approaches towards the country. Not surprisingly, they were also more likely to disapprove of direct military engagement in the region. These results tell us that in order to achieve peace, we must encourage younger generations to look outward rather than inward.

    Kevin Quealy, “If Americans Can Find North Korea on a Map, They’re More Likely to Prefer Diplomacy,” The New York Times, May 14, 2017.

    North Korea Test Fired Three Missiles in May

    North Korea conducted three missile tests in the month of May. They were all short- or medium-range ballistic missiles. While North Korea does not yet possess a missile capable of reaching the United States, its missiles do pose a threat to U.S. troops in the region and U.S. allies such as South Korea and Japan.

    Experts widely believe that North Korea is seeking the capability to strike the U.S. with a nuclear weapon as a deterrent to regime change. North Korea has cited the examples of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moammar Gadaffi in Libya as two leaders who gave up their nuclear weapons programs and were taken down by the U.S.

    Joshua Berlinger, “North Korea’s Missile Tests: By the Numbers,” CNN, May 29, 2017.

    Nuclear Modernization

    New ICBM Estimated to Cost $85 Billion and Climbing

    The latest cost estimates for the United States to field a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system is up to $85 billion, with the estimated price tag likely to rise even further as the program progresses. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry has called for the elimination of the ICBM leg of the nuclear triad. Perry said, “The ICBM system is outdated, risky and unnecessary. Basically, it can bring about the end of civilization with a false alarm. It’s a liability because we can easily achieve deterrence without it.”

    W.J. Hennigan and Ralph Vartabedian, “Upgrading U.S. Nuclear Missiles, as Russia and China Modernize, Would Cost $85 Billion. Is it Time to Quit the ICBM Race?” Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2017.

    Radioactive Waste Tunnel Collapses While U.S. Spends Billions on New Nuclear Weapons

    On May 9, a tunnel in which radioactive waste is stored collapsed at the Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington State. This latest accident is a stark reminder of the ongoing risks presented by nuclear facilities within the United States. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has estimated that it will cost $32 billion to completely decontaminate and demolish DOE’s old, unused nuclear weapons facilities.

    Meanwhile, in the budget proposal published by the Trump Administration on May 23, DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration saw a $1 billion increase over last year, up to $10.2 billion. Instead of focusing on dealing with the myriad messes already created in the process of producing nuclear weapons, the U.S. is choosing to create additional weapons, which will inevitably lead to more waste and more environmental issues.

    Robert Alvarez, a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, said, “The longer you wait to deal with this problem, the more dangerous it becomes.”

    Tom James, “Hanford Nuclear Site Accident Puts Focus on Aging U.S. Facilities,” Reuters, May 12, 2017.

     Resources

    This Month in Nuclear Threat History

    History chronicles many instances when humans have been threatened by nuclear weapons. In this article, Jeffrey Mason outlines some of the threats that have taken place in the month of June, including the start of the Korean War on June 25, 1950. The U.S. threatened to use nuclear weapons during the Korean War. The war ended with an armistice agreement, and no peace treaty was ever signed.

    To read Mason’s full article, click here.

    For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.

    Accountability Audit

    The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) has published a new report entitled “Accountability Audit.” The report examines the extraordinary spending at Department of Energy nuclear facilities and examines ways to reduce risks and save billions of dollars across the U.S. nuclear weapons complex.

    To download a copy of the report, click here.

    We’re Edging Closer to Nuclear War

    What’s the probability of nuclear war? According to experts, it may be higher than you think. A panel of experts assembled by the popular website Five Thirty Eight seeks to answer some of the toughest questions about nuclear weapons.

    Click here to read the full story.

    Foundation Activities

    NAPF Representatives Lobby Congress

    Five representatives of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation traveled to Washington, DC in late May to take part in the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability’s 29th annual DC Days event. Director of Programs Rick Wayman, interns Kristian Rolland and Sarah Dolan, and Board members Robert Laney and Mark Hamilton together conducted 43 meetings with Congressional and Administration offices.

    In Washington, NAPF was advocating for reductions in the nuclear weapons budget, a halt to specific nuclear weapon modernization programs, Congressional co-sponsorship of a bill restricting the first use of nuclear weapons, and an increased commitment to environmental cleanup of contaminated nuclear weapon production sites.

    Final Negotiations for a Nuclear Ban Treaty

    NAPF Director of Programs Rick Wayman and Board Chair Robert Laney will travel to New York in June to participate in the final round of negotiations on a treaty banning nuclear weapons. The negotiations will take place at the United Nations from June 15 to July 7.

    NAPF is also a partner of the Women’s March to Ban the Bomb, which will take place in New York City on Saturday, June 17.

    Poetry Contest Deadline is July 1

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation invites people of all ages from around the world to submit poems to the Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry contest. This annual series of awards encourages poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit. The Poetry Awards include three age categories: Adult, Youth 13-18, and Youth 12 & Under. The deadline for entries is July 1, 2017. The winner of the adult category will receive a $1,000 prize, while the winners in the two youth categories will receive $200 prizes.

    For more information and to read previous years’ winning poems, click here.

    Quotes

     

    “When you can make people believe absurdities, you can make them commit atrocities.”

    — Voltaire, French Enlightenment philosopher. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available for purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.

     

    “A conflict in North Korea…would be probably the worst kind of fighting in most people’s lifetimes…. The bottom line is it would be a catastrophic war if this turns into a combat if we’re not able to resolve this situation through diplomatic means.”

    — U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, speaking about the conflict between the United States and North Korea.

     

    “It’s an extraordinary question when you think about it – would you order the indiscriminate killing of millions of people? Would you risk such extensive contamination of the planet that no life could exist across large parts of the world? If circumstances arose where that was a real option, it would represent complete and cataclysmic failure. It would mean world leaders had already triggered a spiral of catastrophe for humankind.”

    — Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the UK Labour Party, responding to a question about whether, if Prime Minister, he would be willing to use nuclear weapons.

    Editorial Team

     

    David Krieger
    Kristian Rolland
    Carol Warner
    Rick Wayman

     

  • US Prepares to Confront Nuclear Ban Treaty with Smart Bombs

    This article was originally published by In Depth News.

    donald_trumpOn May 23, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a press release celebrating President Trump’s proposed 2018 budget. DOE specifically lauded the proposed “$10.2 billion for Weapons Activities to maintain and enhance the safety, security, and effectiveness of our nuclear weapons enterprise.”

    Less than 24 hours earlier, Ambassador Elayne Whyte of Costa Rica released a draft of a treaty banning nuclear weapons. Ambassador Whyte is President of the United Nations Conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination. Over 130 nations have participated in the ban treaty negotiations thus far. A final treaty text is expected by early July.

    The draft treaty would prohibit state parties from – among other things – developing, producing, manufacturing, possessing or stockpiling nuclear weapons. The United States has aggressively boycotted the treaty negotiations, and has actively sought to undermine the good faith efforts of the majority of the world’s nations to prohibit these indiscriminate and catastrophically destructive weapons.

    No one is surprised at President Trump’s proposed funding for nuclear weapons activities; in fact, it is largely a continuation of the U.S. nuclear “modernization” program that began under President Obama. What is alarming, however, is the tacit admission by the Department of Energy that it is not simply maintaining current U.S. nuclear warheads until such time as they are eliminated. Rather, it is enhancing the “effectiveness” of nuclear weapons by incorporating new military capabilities into new weapons expected to be active through the final decades of the 21st century.

    The draft ban treaty makes clear “that the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons transcend national borders, pose grave implications for human survival, the environment, socioeconomic development, the global economy, food security and for the health of future generations.”

    Whether or not the United States plans to join the majority of the world’s nations in a treaty banning nuclear weapons, its policies and programs must reflect the indisputable evidence of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons use. There is simply no excuse for investing in new nuclear weapons instead of an all-out diplomatic push for true security in a world without nuclear weapons.

    A Good Faith Obligation

    Article VI of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) obligates all parties to negotiate in good faith for an end to the nuclear arms race at an early date. That treaty entered into force over 47 years ago.

    The draft ban treaty repeats the unanimous 1996 declaration of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which said, “There exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control.”

    Judge Christopher Weeramantry was Vice President of the ICJ when it issued its 1996 Advisory Opinion. In a paper that he wrote for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in 2013, he examined in detail the concept of good faith in the context of nuclear disarmament.

    He wrote, “There is no half-way house in the duty of compliance with good faith in international law.” He continued, “Disrespect for and breach of good faith grows exponentially if, far from even partial compliance, there is total non-compliance with the obligations it imposes.”

    The U.S. and numerous other nuclear-armed countries argue that they are in compliance with their obligations because the total number of nuclear weapons in their arsenals has decreased. Quantitative reductions are important, and the progress on this front has been significant over the past couple of decades. However, a nuclear arms race need not simply be quantitative. Rather, what we see now among many of the nuclear-armed nations is a qualitative nuclear arms race, with enhancements of weapons’ “effectiveness” being a key component.

    This qualitative nuclear arms race is a blatant breach of the good faith obligation and, according to Judge Weeramantry’s interpretation, likely even constitutes bad faith.

    A Ban Is Coming

    Regardless of how much money the United States and other nuclear-armed nations commit to their nuclear arsenals, the vast majority of the world’s nations plan to conclude a treaty banning nuclear weapons in July.

    Even though such a treaty will not immediately halt nuclear weapons development or diminish the threat that current nuclear weapon arsenals pose to all humanity, it is an important step in the right direction.

    The NPT and customary international law require all nations – not just those that possess nuclear weapons – to negotiate for nuclear disarmament. The ban treaty is the first of many steps needed to fulfill this obligation, and will lay a solid foundation for future multilateral action.

    Non-nuclear-armed countries must continue to enhance the effectiveness of their diplomatic arsenals to ensure the successful entry into force of a ban treaty and subsequent measures to finally achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.

    Author’s note: Generally speaking, the U.S. Department of Energy is in charge of the design, production and maintenance of nuclear warheads and bombs, while the Department of Defense deals with the delivery systems (ICBMs, submarines, and bomber aircraft) and deployment in additional multi-billion dollar budget lines not addressed in this article. For more information on the Department of Energy’s nuclear “modernization” plans, see the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability’s new report “Accountability Audit.”

  • Sunflower Newsletter: May 2017

    Issue #238 – May 2017
    Donate Now!

    Nuclear weapons have no place in this world. Please support our work today, and make a gift in honor of a mother in your life.
    • Perspectives
      • What Is Wrong With Trump’s Attack on Syria? by David Krieger
      • Growing Nuclear Dangers: What Would Dr. King Say? by Jackie Cabasso
      • Why Is There So Little Public Protest Against Today’s Threats of Nuclear War? by Lawrence Wittner
    • U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
      • U.S. Tests Minuteman III ICBMs Amidst Extreme Tensions with North Korea
      • Pentagon Officially Begins Nuclear Posture Review Process
    • War and Peace
      • Women of 40 Nations Urge Trump to Seek Peace in Korea
      • North Korea Launches Missile Following UN Security Council Meeting
      • Statements Regarding Military Action in North Korea
    • Nuclear Modernization
      • U.S. Flight Tests New B61-12 Nuclear Bomb
      • B61-12 Nuclear Bomb Production Cost Now Estimated 35 Percent Higher
    • Resources
      • This Month in Nuclear Threat History
      • Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons: A Pacific Islands Priority
      • A New Map for Relationships: Creating True Love at Home & Peace on the Planet
      • 2017 NPT Briefing Book
    • Foundation Activities
      • Video Contest Winners Announced
      • NAPF to Screen “The Coming War on China”
      • Peace Literacy in Winnipeg
      • Poetry Contest Accepting Submissions
    • Quotes

     

    Perspectives

    What Is Wrong With Trump’s Attack on Syria?

    by David Krieger

    Despite the illegality and inherent dangers of his military response, Trump seems to be getting a favorable reaction from the U.S. media. Nearly all U.S. mainstream media seems to have accepted the assumption that Assad was foolish enough to have launched a chemical attack, and have not questioned Assad’s responsibility for the chemical attack. It appears that neither the U.S. government nor media have conducted a thorough investigation of responsibility for the chemical attack, which should have been done prior to a military response.

    For his violations of U.S. and international law in attacking Syria with 59 cruise missiles, it is highly likely that Trump will also be rewarded by the American people with an upward bump in his current ground-level job-approval rating. Too many Americans tend to like their presidents to be fast on the draw and follow the pattern of Ready, Fire, Aim.

    To read more, click here.

    Growing Nuclear Dangers: What Would Dr. King Say?

    by Jackie Cabasso

    April 4 was the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s remarkably prescient speech, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” in which he laid bare the relationship between US wars abroad and the racism and poverty being challenged by the civil rights movement at home. “I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government.” Tragically, Dr. King was assassinated exactly one year later.

    Progress towards a global society that is fairer, peaceful and ecologically sustainable is interdependent. We are unlikely to get far on any of these objectives without progress on all. They are not “preconditions” for disarmament, but, together with disarmament, are preconditions for human survival. In our relationships both with each other and the planet, we are now hard up against the choice Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. warned about 50 years ago: nonviolence or nonexistence.

    To read more, click here.

    Why Is There So Little Public Protest Against Today’s Threats of Nuclear War?

    by Lawrence Wittner

    What is the response of the public to these two erratic government leaders behaving in this reckless fashion and threatening war, including nuclear war? It is remarkably subdued. People read about the situation in newspapers or watch it on the television news, while comedians joke about the madness of it all.

    So why is there so little public protest today?

    One factor is certainly the public’s preoccupation with other important issues, among them climate change, immigration, terrorism, criminal justice, civil liberties, and economic inequality. Another appears to be a sense of fatalism. Many people believe that Kim and Trump are too irrational to respond to reason and too autocratic to give way to public pressure. Finally―and perhaps most significantly―people are reluctant to think about nuclear war. After all, it means death and destruction at an unbearable level of horror. Therefore, it’s much easier to simply forget about it.

    To read more, click here.

    U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy

    U.S. Tests Minuteman III ICBMs Amidst Extreme Tensions with North Korea

    On April 26, the U.S. Air Force conducted a test of its Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The United States deploys approximately 400 Minuteman III ICBMs armed with nuclear warheads in silos across Montana, North Dakota, Colorado and Wyoming.

    Col. Chris Moss, Vandenberg’s 30th Space Wing commander, said the test launch was “an important demonstration of our nation’s nuclear deterrent capability.”

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, said, “When it comes to missile testing, the U.S. is operating with a clear double standard: It views its own tests as justified and useful, while it views the tests of North Korea as threatening and destabilizing. What is needed is diplomacy rather than military provocations. Threats, whether in the form of tweets, nuclear-capable aircraft carrier groups, or nuclear-capable missile launches, only increase the dangers to us all.”

    The Air Force has scheduled an additional Minuteman III test for May 3.

    Veronica Rocha, “Air Force Launches Test Missile Off Central California Coast to Show Nuclear Deterrent Capability,” Los Angeles Times, April 26, 2017.

    Pentagon Officially Begins Nuclear Posture Review Process

    On April 17, the Pentagon announced the official commencement of the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). The last NPR was completed in 2010. Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said that a final report would be ready by the end of 2017.

    Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said that the NPR would examine perceived threats from countries such as Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. It will also look at the modernization plans for the U.S. nuclear triad, which consists of land-based missiles, submarine-launched missiles, and bomber aircraft.

    Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) said, “I hope that it includes a thorough assessment of policy options that would allow us to avoid a costly and dangerous nuclear arms race; and that it properly analyzes the enormous risks inherent in lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons.”

    Rebecca Kheel, “Pentagon Starts Review of Nuclear Posture Ordered by Trump,” The Hill, April 17, 2017.

    War and Peace

    Women of 40 Nations Urge Trump to Seek Peace in Korea

    In a letter sent to President Trump on April 26, women from 40 countries – including North and South Korea – urged him to defuse military tensions and start negotiating for peace. The letter, organized by Women Cross DMZ, urges President Trump to “initiate a peace process with North Korea, South Korea and China to replace the 1953 Armistice Agreement with a binding peace treaty to end the Korean War.”

    Choe Sang-Hun, “Fearing Korean Nuclear War, Women of 40 Nations Urge Trump to Seek Peace,” The New York Times, April 26, 2017.

    North Korea Launches Missile Following UN Security Council Meeting

    On April 29, North Korea launched a missile test. According to the South Korean military, the test ended in failure. However, other observers have claimed that North Korea purposely detonated the missile after it flew only 30 miles.

    The April 29 test came just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson led a meeting at the UN Security Council about North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons programs. Secretary Tillerson said, “Failing to act now on the most pressing security issue in the world may bring catastrophic consequences.”

    “North Korea Test-Fires Another Ballistic Missile, Heightening Tensions With U.S.,” The New York Times, April 28, 2017.

    Statements Regarding Military Action in North Korea

    On April 27, President Trump said, “There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely. We’d love to solve things diplomatically but it’s very difficult.”

    On April 18, Kim In-ryong, North Korea’s deputy UN ambassador, said that “a thermonuclear war may break out at any moment” and that North Korea is “ready to react to any mode of war desired by the United States.”

    Andrew Lichterman of Western States Legal Foundation wrote, “There is no military solution to the Korea crisis. …If the government of the United States wants peace and a viable path to a nuclear-weapons-free North Korea, it should be ready to talk to North Korea’s government – immediately, directly, and without conditions.”

    Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association, wrote, “Trump and his advisers need to curb the impulse to threaten military action, which may increase the risk of catastrophic miscalculation. A saner and more effective approach is to work with China to tighten the sanctions pressure and simultaneously open a new diplomatic channel designed to defuse tensions and to halt and eventually reverse North Korea’s increasingly dangerous nuclear and missile programs.”

    Nuclear Modernization

    U.S. Flight Tests New B61-12 Nuclear Bomb

    On March 14, the U.S. conducted its first successful flight test of the new B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb on an F-16 aircraft. The test, conducted in Nevada, demonstrated the F-16’s capability to deliver the nuclear weapon and tested the functioning of the weapon’s non-nuclear components, including the arming and fire control system, radar altimeter, spin rocket motors and weapons control computer.

    The B61-12 nuclear bomb, which was “modernized” during the Obama administration, is expected to be deployed on the soil of five other nations – Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey – under the auspices of NATO nuclear sharing.

    “Inert Nuclear Gravity Bomb Passes First F-16 Flight Test,” Kirtland Air Force Base, April 13, 2017.

    New B61-12 Nuclear Bomb Production Cost Now Estimated 35 Percent Higher

    The Energy Department’s Office of Cost Estimating and Program Evaluation has projected that the cost of developing and producing up to 500 B61-12 nuclear bombs will be $10 billion through fiscal year 2026. The Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) estimated the program cost at $7.4 billion in last year’s federal budget. When the program was originally introduced, the full cost was projected to be $4 billion.

    The B61-12 is intended to replace four types of B61 nuclear bombs with one model containing satellite-guided kits. Production was originally scheduled to begin in 2017. NNSA now projects that production will begin in 2020, although the Office of Cost Estimating and Program Evaluation projects that it will not begin until 2022.

    John M. Donnelly, “Nuclear Bomb Program’s Budget 35 Percent Short: Report,” CQ Roll Call (paywall), April 28, 2017.

     Resources

    This Month in Nuclear Threat History

    History chronicles many instances when humans have been threatened by nuclear weapons. In this article, Jeffrey Mason outlines some of the threats that have taken place in the month of May, including the Kargil Conflict between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed, which began on May 8, 1999.

    To read Mason’s full article, click here.

    For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.

    Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons: A Pacific Islands Priority

    The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has published a new report entitled “Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons: A Pacific Islands Priority.” The report details the efforts of many Pacific Island nations that are at the forefront of the movement to ban nuclear weapons. It also describes the history of resistance to nuclear weapons, the timeline of nuclear weapon testing in the Pacific, and the long-term health impacts that nuclear testing has had on the people of these island nations.

    To download a copy of the report, click here.

    A New Map for Relationships: Creating True Love at Home & Peace on the Planet

    A new book by NAPF Associate, Dr. Martin Hellman, and his wife, Dorothie Hellman, is now available to download for free at https://anewmap.com. Alternatively, you can purchase a hard copy online from the NAPF Peace Store. The book addresses how to compassionately resolve conflicts in marriage and how to participate in solving conflicts at the international level.

    Recently, the Hellmans gave a “Google Talk,” which is now available on YouTube. We encourage you to view this important talk, which explains what the Hellmans are trying to achieve through their work.

    2017 NPT Briefing Book

    The first Preparatory Committee meeting of the 2020 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review cycle starts in Vienna on May 2. Reaching Critical Will, a project of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, has published a briefing book in preparation for the conference.

    The briefing book provides a guide to understanding the NPT, and examines issues related to the modernization of nuclear weapons, nuclear doctrines and transparency, risks and consequences of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy, the Middle East weapon of mass destruction free zone, and nuclear disarmament in relation to the prohibition of nuclear weapons.

    To download a copy of the briefing book, click here.

    Foundation Activities

    Video Contest Winners Announced

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has announced the winners of the 2017 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest. Contestants made videos of 2 ½ minutes or less about why this is the most dangerous period in human history, and what can be done to take civilization back from the brink. The winning video was made by Jonathan Blanton of Fullerton, California.

    To watch the winning videos, click here.

    NAPF to Screen “The Coming War on China”

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will host a free screening of “The Coming War on China” on May 10 in Santa Barbara. The latest film by John Pilger, the Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning director, has not yet been released in the United States.

    Pilger reveals what the media doesn’t – that the world’s greatest military power, the U.S., and the world’s second economic power, China, both nuclear-armed, are on their way to war. Pilger’s film is a warning and an inspiring story of resistance.

    For more information about the film, click here. If you are in the Santa Barbara area and would like to attend, click here for more information.

    Peace Literacy in Winnipeg

    The good news of Peace Literacy has spread through parts of the Canadian province of Manitoba during Paul K. Chappell’s week-long April tour. Chappell, the Peace Leadership Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, was sponsored by Rotary District 5550 World Partners and Peace Days 365, with events organized by Rotarian David G. Newman, a former president of the Winnipeg Rotary Club and a board member of the Rotarian Action Group for Peace.

    Chappell discussed Peace Literacy at the Rotary clubs of Winnipeg and Winnipeg-Charleswood, lectured at the Arthur V. Maturo Centre for Peace and Justice at the University of Manitoba, and gave a workshop on “Key Communication Tools for Peace Literacy” at the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg. He also keynoted at the Manitoba Annual UNESCO school conference, met with educators, and spoke with indigenous, immigrant, and refugee groups.

    To read more about Paul’s trip to Winnipeg, click here.

    Poetry Contest Accepting Submissions

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation invites people of all ages from around the world to submit poems to the Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry contest. This annual series of awards encourages poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit. The Poetry Awards include three age categories: Adult, Youth 13-18, and Youth 12 & Under. The deadline for entries is July 1, 2017. The winner of the adult category will receive a $1,000 prize, while the winners in the two youth categories will receive $200 prizes.

    For more information and to read previous years’ winning poems, click here.

    Quotes

     

    “Fear is not just unpleasant: It can be our greatest enemy; it is being deliberately used to keep us from our own common sense, our own deepest truths.”

    — Francis Moore Lappé. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available for purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.

     

    “Weapons that risk catastrophic humanitarian consequences cannot possibly be viewed as providing people’s security. Protecting humanity requires courage, commitment and concerted action; it is time to put humanity first by prohibiting and completely eliminating nuclear weapons.”

    — Appeal issued by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement on April 28, 2017, in Nagasaki, Japan.

     

    “From the bosom of the devastated earth, a voice goes up with our own. It says, ‘Disarm, Disarm!’.”

    — Julia Ward Howe in her Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870.

    Editorial Team

     

    David Krieger
    Elena Nicklasson
    Carol Warner
    Rick Wayman

     

  • Tell Your Senators: No Military Action Against North Korea

    President Trump has summoned all 100 U.S. Senators to meet at the White House tomorrow, April 26, regarding the situation in North Korea. This sounds ominous. President Trump and members of his cabinet have stated that “all options are on the table.” Preemptive military action, not sanctioned by the UN Security Council, would be illegal, immoral and unwise. It could lead to a prolonged war in the Korean peninsula, and could lead to the use of nuclear weapons.

    In addition, the U.S. has scheduled a test of its nuclear-capable Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile for the early morning hours of April 26, just before Trump’s meeting with Senators. Continually escalating the nuclear threat level with North Korea endangers us all.

    Write your Senators today insisting upon a diplomatic – rather than a military – solution to the conflict with North Korea.

  • Winning Videos: 2017 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest

    Congratulations to everyone who entered the 2017 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest. After much deliberation, the judges have decided on the following awards:

    FIRST PRIZE
    A World Built on a Box of Matches by Jonathan Blanton

    SECOND PRIZE
    2.5 Minutes Till Midnight by Jorge Sanchez

    THIRD PRIZE
    Pandora by Emily Johnston

    HONORABLE MENTIONS
    “Anima Mundi” by Toussaint Louverture
    “Will Nuclear Weapons End Us All?” by Karl Henderson
    “The Marshall Islands” by Nate Superczynski

    For more information about the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest, visit www.peacecontests.org.

  • Sunflower Newsletter: April 2017

    Issue #237 – April 2017
    Donate Now!

    A gift of peace: check out our online store for inspiring Mother’s Day gift ideas, including artful prints by Elizabeth Gallery. Please help us sustain our movement for peace and Nuclear Zero, and make a donation in honor of a mother in your life.

    Facebook Twitter Addthis
    • Perspectives
      • A Better Mousetrap? by David Krieger
      • Testimony of a Hiroshima Survivor by Fujimori Toshiki
      • Message to the UN Conference Negotiating a Nuclear Ban Treaty by Pope Francis
    • U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
      • U.S. Ambassador Leads Pro-Nuclear Protest Outside UN Ban Treaty Negotiations
      • Head of U.S. Strategic Command Opposes Vision of a Nuclear Weapons-Free World
    • Nuclear Insanity
      • Watch Hundreds of U.S. Nuclear Tests on YouTube
    • Nuclear Disarmament
      • Scientists Urge a Ban on Nuclear Weapons
      • U.S. Court Hears Oral Arguments in Marshall Islands’ Nuclear Disarmament Case
    • War and Peace
      • Russia Plans Cuts to Military Budget
    • Nuclear Modernization
      • U.S. to Reconsider Eventual Goal of Nuclear Disarmament
    • Resources
      • This Month in Nuclear Threat History
      • Toward a Fundamental Change in Nuclear Weapons Policy
      • Intensive Summer Program: Hiroshima and Peace
      • Marshall Islands Student Association Project
    • Foundation Activities
      • Letter in The New York Times
      • Video Featuring Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick
      • NAPF Participates in Ban Treaty Negotiations
      • Peace Poetry Contest Now Accepting Entries
      • Peace Literacy
    • Quotes

     

    Perspectives

    A Better Mousetrap?

    by David Krieger

    Albert Einstein noted, “Mankind invented the atomic bomb, but no mouse would ever construct a mousetrap.”

    We humans have created the equivalent of a mousetrap for ourselves. And we’ve constructed tens of thousands of them over the seven decades of the Nuclear Age.

    In the mid-1980s, the world reached a high of 70,000 nuclear weapons, with more than 95 percent of them in the arsenals of the United States and Soviet Union. Since then, the number has fallen to under 15,000. While this downward trend is positive, the world’s nuclear countries possess enough nuclear weapons to destroy the human species many times over.

    To read more, click here.

    Testimony of a Hiroshima Survivor

    by Fujimori Toshiki

    I was 1 year and 4 months-old when the bomb was dropped. I was sick that day, so my mother was heading to the hospital with me on her back when the bomb was dropped. We were 2.3 km from the hypocenter. Fortunately, a two-story house between the hypocenter and us prevented us from directly being exposed to the heat. Yet, we were thrown all the way to the edge of the river bank. My mother, with me in her arms, managed to get to the nearby mountain called Ushitayama. Our family members were in different locations at the time of the bombing, but everyone escaped to the same mountain of Ushitayama, except for my fourth-elder sister. For many days that followed, my parents and my sisters kept going back to the area near the hypocenter to look for my fourth-eldest sister, who was missing. We never found her. We never found her body either.

    In the meantime, I had my entire body covered with bandages, with only eyes, nose, and mouth uncovered. Everybody thought I would die over time. Yet, I survived. It is a miracle. I am here at the UN, asking for an abolition of nuclear weapons. I am convinced that this is a mission I am given as a survivor of the atomic-bomb.

    To read more, click here.

    Message to the UN Conference Negotiating a Nuclear Ban Treaty

    by Pope Francis

    If we take into consideration the principal threats to peace and security with their many dimensions in this multipolar world of the twenty-first century as, for example, terrorism, asymmetrical conflicts, cybersecurity, environmental problems, poverty, not a few doubts arise regarding the inadequacy of nuclear deterrence as an effective response to such challenges. These concerns are even greater when we consider the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences that would follow from any use of nuclear weapons, with devastating, indiscriminate and uncontainable effects, over time and space.  Similar cause for concern arises when examining the waste of resources spent on nuclear issues for military purposes, which could instead be used for worthy priorities like the promotion of peace and integral human development, as well as the fight against poverty, and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    We need also to ask ourselves how sustainable is a stability based on fear, when it actually increases fear and undermines relationships of trust between peoples.

    To read more, click here.

    U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy

    U.S. Ambassador Leads Pro-Nuclear Protest Outside UN Ban Treaty Negotiations

    On March 27, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley led a press conference in protest of the United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Toward Their Total Elimination. Ambassador Haley spoke briefly at the press conference along with UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft and French Deputy Ambassador Alexis Lamek.

    The United States strongly opposed the idea of negotiating a nuclear ban treaty when it was under discussion in 2016 during the Obama Administration. Staunch U.S. opposition to a ban treaty is now continuing under the Trump Administration.

    Somini Sengupta and Rick Gladstone, “United States and Allies Protest UN Talks to Ban Nuclear Weapons,” The New York Times, March 27, 2017.

    Head of U.S. Strategic Command Opposes Vision of a Nuclear Weapons-Free World

    Gen. John Hyten, head of United States Strategic Command, told reporters at the annual meeting of the Military Reporters and Editors Association that nuclear weapons make the world safer. Gen. Hyten said, “Can I imagine a world without nuclear weapons? Yes, I can. That’s a world I didn’t like.”

    He criticized the effort underway at the United Nations to achieve a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, saying that nuclear weapons act as a deterrent and keep the peace.

    Tom O’Connor, “Top U.S. Military Commander Says Nuclear Weapons Make the World Safer,” Newsweek, March 31, 2017.

    Nuclear Insanity

    Watch Hundreds of U.S. Nuclear Tests on YouTube

    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has released dozens of videos showing U.S. nuclear weapons tests. The footage was captured from tests conducted from 1945 to 1962 in the Marshall Islands and Nevada. LLNL restored and declassified the films, many of which were deteriorating.

    Dr. Gregory Spriggs, a weapons physicist in charge of the project at Livermore, said, “I think that if we capture the history of this and show what the force of these weapons are and how much devastation they can wreak, then maybe people will be reluctant to use them.”

    Christine Hauser, “U.S. Nuclear Weapons Tests Come to YouTube,” The New York Times, March 17, 2017.

    Nuclear Disarmament

    Scientists Urge a Ban on Nuclear Weapons

    Over 3,600 scientists have signed an open letter urging the United Nations to complete negotiations on a new treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. The open letter, which includes signatures of 28 Nobel laureates, states, “We scientists bear a special responsibility for nuclear weapons, since it was scientists who invented them and discovered that their effects are even more horrific than first thought.”

    The open letter was organized by the Future of Life Institute, and was presented to Her Excellency Ms. Elayne Whyte Gómez of Costa Rica, President of the ban treaty negotiations at the United Nations.

    Sarah Marquart, “The UN Is Currently Meeting to Negotiate a Complete, Global Ban on Nuclear Weapons,” Futurism, March 27, 2017.

    U.S. Court Hears Oral Arguments in Marshall Islands’ Nuclear Disarmament Case

    On March 15, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments from the Marshall Islands (RMI) and the United States in the Marshall Islands’ nuclear disarmament lawsuit. The RMI filed suit in 2014 against the United States for breaches of Article VI of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which requires good faith negotiations for an end to the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament.

    Oral arguments before the three-judge panel centered around the United States’ preliminary objections, as opposed to the merits of the case. A ruling by the Ninth Circuit is expected in the coming months.

    Helen Christophi, “Ninth Circuit Hesitant to Get Into Nuclear Disarmament,” Courthouse News Service, March 17, 2017.

    War and Peace

    Russia Plans Cuts to Military Budget

    Russia appears to have planned a cut of over 25% to its military budget next year. Military news outlet IHS Jane’s calls this “the largest cut to military expenditure in the country since the early 1990s.” The cuts are likely due to a combination of the lower price of oil and Western sanctions against Russia.

    After these cuts take effect, Russia’s total annual military budget will be roughly the same as the increase in the U.S. military budget proposed by President Trump ($54 billion).

    Danielle Ryan, “So Much for the Russian Threat: Putin Slashes Defense Spending While Trump Plans Massive Buildup,” Salon, March 19, 2017.

    Nuclear Modernization

    U.S. to Reconsider Eventual Goal of Nuclear Disarmament

    Christopher Ford, senior director on the National Security Council for weapons of mass destruction and counter-proliferation, told a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace conference that the Trump administration is reconsidering the long-standing U.S. goal of eventual global nuclear disarmament.

    Ford implied that because of the U.S. plans to “modernize” its nuclear arsenal and production infrastructure, “It’s not totally obvious that we can continue to have it both ways in that respect for the foreseeable future.”

    Rachel Oswald, “NSC Official: Trump May Abandon Goal of Nuclear Disarmament,” Roll Call, March 21, 2017.

     Resources

    This Month in Nuclear Threat History

    History chronicles many instances when humans have been threatened by nuclear weapons. In this article, Jeffrey Mason outlines some of the threats that have taken place in the month of April, including the April 4, 1949 creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

    To read Mason’s full article, click here.

    For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.

    Toward a Fundamental Change in Nuclear Weapons Policy

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is co-sponsoring a conference in Washington, DC on April 27 entitled “Toward a Fundamental Change in Nuclear Weapons Policy.” The conference will be convened by Soka Gakkai International-USA and will take place at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center.

    Current realities call for a transformational change in nuclear weapons policy. This all-day conference will bring together scientists, policy experts, and religious leaders to discuss what must be done to pave the way for a nuclear weapons-free world.

    The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required. For more information and to register, click here.

    Intensive Summer Program: Hiroshima and Peace

    Hiroshima City University will offer its intensive summer program “Hiroshima and Peace” to students from abroad and in Japan. The course aims to share recent advances of peace studies and to underline the importance of world peace in our age.

    The Hiroshima and Peace program provides participants with an opportunity to think seriously about the importance of peacemaking in the world. The program consists of a series of lectures by specialists in different fields related to peace studies, discussions, and several featured programs, including testimony from a survivor of the atomic bombing, visits to the Atomic-bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum, and participation in the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6th.

    For more information about the course, click here.

    Marshall Islands Student Association Project

    The Marshall Islands Students Association (MISA) in Fiji is asking for members of the public to join them in solidarity as they urge Pacific leaders to prioritize Sustainable Development Goal 14.1 regarding land-based pollutants, which has been pushed to the chopping block by many technical agencies citing lack of data.

    A dome located on Runit Island in Enewatak Atoll holds a portion of the most toxic and contaminated garbage generated by 67 nuclear and thermonuclear bomb tests conducted by the U.S. on Enewetak and Bikini Atoll. The rest of the fallout will remain spread across the islands for tens of thousands of years. This is not only a concern for the Marshall Islands, but one that concerns all in the region. Nuclear contamination does not respect any border or boundaries.

    MISA is calling for submissions in solidarity through poetry, dance, art and photos. For more information, visit the MISA Facebook page.

    Foundation Activities

    Letter in The New York Times

    The New York Times published a letter to the editor written by Rick Wayman, NAPF’s Director of Programs and Operations, on March 15. Wayman wrote the letter in response to a report about calls for Europe to develop its own nuclear arsenal.

    He wrote in part, “Those in Europe arguing in favor of a continental nuclear arsenal are heavy on politics, but glaringly light on law and humanity.”

    To read the full letter, click here.

    Video Featuring Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 16th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future featured legendary Hollywood director Oliver Stone and Professor Peter Kuznick, co-authors of the internationally-acclaimed documentary The Untold History of the United States.

    The event, entitled “Untold History, Uncertain Future,” took place on February 23 at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. A video of the event is now available to watch for free on YouTube. Click here for the video.

    NAPF Participates in Ban Treaty Negotiations

    Numerous representatives of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation participated in the first round of the United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Toward Their Total Elimination, which took place from March 27-31 at UN headquarters in New York. NAPF Director of Programs Rick Wayman chaired a side event on March 28 entitled “U.S. Nuclear Modernization Under President Trump: Implications for the Ban Treaty Process.”

    Wayman also wrote an article for the Nuclear Ban Daily, a publication by Reaching Critical Will that was distributed to NGOs and delegates on each day of the negotiations. His article was entitled “‘Modernization’ Violates Every Likely Prohibition in Ban Treaty.” To read the article, click here.

    Peace Poetry Contest Now Accepting Entries

    April marks National Poetry Month. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s annual Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry contest is accepting entries through July 1, 2017. The awards encourage poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit. The Poetry Awards include three age categories: Adult, Youth 13-18, and Youth 12 & Under.

    The contest is open to people worldwide. Poems must be original, unpublished, and in English.

    For more information on the contest, including instructions on how to enter, click here. To read the winning poems from past years, click here.

    Peace Literacy in an Age of Anger

    NAPF Peace Leadership Director Paul K. Chappell recently visited Corvallis, Oregon, to deliver a workshop on Peace Literacy. The Corvallis Advocate published an article about Chappell’s Peace Literacy concept.

    In her introduction of Paul K. Chappell at the Oregon State University (OSU) event, Allison Davis White-Eyes—OSU’s Assistant Vice Provost and Director of Diversity and Cultural Engagement—described how, “It has become more clear that we must find a way to speak to one another, to listen to one another [and] to reach across the great ideological divide of our country. The time is now.”

    To read the full article, click here.

    Quotes

     

    “Poetry is an act of peace. Peace goes into the making of a poet as flour goes into the making of bread.”

    — Pablo Neruda. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available for purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.

     

    “There is no such thing as a limited nuclear war, and the United States should be seeking to raise the threshold for nuclear use, not blur that threshold by building additional so-called low-yield weapons.”

    — Twelve U.S. Senators in a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis and Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

     

    “We are going to be having an increase in the movements of weapons in coming years and we should be worried. We always have to assume the worst-case scenario when we are hauling nuclear weapons around the country.”

    — Robert Alvarez, in a Los Angeles Times story about the troubled federal agency tasked with transporting U.S. nuclear weapons around the country.

    Editorial Team

     

    David Krieger
    Carol Warner
    Rick Wayman

     

  • “Modernization” Violates Every Likely Prohibition in Ban Treaty

    This article was originally published in Reaching Critical Will’s Nuclear Ban Daily.

    According to Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists, who spoke at a side event in Conference Room B on Tuesday, all nine nuclear-armed countries are “modernizing” some or all aspects of their nuclear arsenals. This might go some way in explaining why many of these countries so vehemently oppose the good faith ban treaty negotiations that began this week in New York.

    Taking as an example the United States’ actual and proposed modernization plans, every single likely prohibition contained in a nuclear ban treaty would be violated.

    Stockpiling, possession, development, production, and deployment would all likely be prohibited under this treaty. Additional proposed prohibitions include the use, threat of use, transfer, testing, and financing.

    It is plain to see how the first five elements listed would be violated by a “modernized” arsenal. But what about the rest?

    The use and threat of use of nuclear weapons are implicit in the policy of nuclear deterrence. As President Trump is rumored to have asked about nuclear weapons, “If we have them, why can’t we use them?”

    Transfer of nuclear weapons is a key to the modernization of the United States’ B61-12 nuclear bomb. Widely considered to be the world’s first “smart” gravity bomb, this “modernized” bomb, its guided tail fin kit and variable explosive yield would be transferred to the territories of five non-nuclear weapon states (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Turkey) under the auspices of NATO.

    There are many voices within the United States calling for a resumption of full-scale underground nuclear testing in Nevada. Some believe that it is desirable as a geopolitical message to foes such as North Korea. However, proposed U.S. nuclear modernization programs are introducing more and more uncertainty into the stockpile by combining different elements of different warheads into new weapons. These proposed combinations, which are becoming more and more exotic, have never been tested together. Once billions of dollars and years of work have been shoveled into the new warheads, pressure to conduct full-scale tests would be significant.

    A prohibition on financing of nuclear weapons would cover financial or material support to public and private enterprises involved in any of the activities covered in the treaty. Predicted to cost at least $1 trillion over the next 30 years, such a prohibition would have meaningful impact. Even the nuclear weapon design labs in the United States are operated by for-profit entities. The companies currently involved in producing and financing nuclear weapons are well known thanks to the investigative work of PAX in their regular “Don’t Bank on the Bomb” reports.

    While the nuclear-armed states are unlikely to join a ban treaty at its inception, codifying the illegitimacy and illegality of nuclear weapons into international law will be a significant step leading to elimination. Delegitimizing, slowing, and stopping the “modernization” programs of nuclear-armed states is of immediate importance, and is another reason why a ban treaty is urgently needed.

  • Sunflower Newsletter: March 2017

    Issue #236 – March 2017
    Donate Now!

    Nuclear weapons threaten everything we’re all about! Now, more than ever, we need to mobilize and we need to stand together for peace and Nuclear Zero. This takes resources. Please consider a gift today.
    • Perspectives
      • The Nuclear Weapons Threat to Our Common Future by David Krieger
      • 63rd Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day Keynote Remarks by President Hilda Heine
      • Nuclear Weapons Don’t Belong in Anyone’s Hands by Tim Wright
    • U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
      • Pentagon Panel Urges Trump to Expand Nuclear Options
      • U.S. Tests Land-Based and Submarine-Launched Nuclear Missiles
      • Catholic Bishop Urges U.S. Secretary of State to Pursue Nuclear Weapons Cuts
    • Nuclear Insanity
      • President Trump Calls for U.S. to be “Top of the Pack” of Nuclear-Armed States
    • Nuclear Proliferation
      • New Russian ICBMs Can “Rip Apart” U.S. Missile Defense System
      • China Bans Coal Imports from North Korea
    • War and Peace
      • U.S. Confirms It Used Depleted Uranium in Syria
      • President Trump Proposes $54 Billion Increase in Military Budget
    • Nuclear Modernization
      • Government Estimates Nuclear Modernization Cost at $400 Billion Over 10 Years
    • Resources
      • This Month in Nuclear Threat History
      • Future of Life Institute Podcast on Nuclear Ban Treaty
      • Nuclear Notebook Now Online in One Location
    • Foundation Activities
      • Video Contest: The Most Dangerous Period in Human History
      • 16th Annual Kelly Lecture Features Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick
      • Peace Literacy at Oshkosh North High School
      • Take Action: Open Letter to Presidents Trump and Putin
    • Quotes

     

    Perspectives

    The Nuclear Weapons Threat to Our Common Future

    by David Krieger

    Nuclear weapons are an existential threat to humans and other forms of complex life. The possibility of nuclear annihilation should concern us enough to take action to abolish these weapons. The failure of large numbers of people to take such action raises vitally important questions. Have we humans given up on our own future? Are we willing to act on our own behalf and that of future generations?

    Nine countries possess nuclear weapons, and the predominant orientation toward them is that they provide protection to their citizens. They do not. Nuclear weapons provide no physical protection. While they may provide psychological “protection,” this is akin to erecting a Maginot Line in the mind – one that can be easily overcome under real world conditions, just as the French Maginot Line was circumvented in World War II, leading to the military defeat and occupation of France by German forces.

    To read more, click here.

    63rd Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day Keynote Remarks

    by President Hilda Heine

    Today is an emotional day for our national conscience as we face the reality that, after the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Testing Program first began with the moving of Bikinians from Bikini Atoll, 71 years of inconsolable grief, terror, and righteous anger followed, none of which have faded with time. This is exacerbated by the U.S. not being honest as to the extent of radiation, and the lingering effects the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Testing Program would have on our lives, ocean and land, and by the U.S. not willing to address the issue of adequate compensation as well as for the radiological cleanup of our islands.

    My Administration will follow in the footsteps of the leaders of the past and continue in this collective quest for nuclear justice. As your President, I cannot and will not accept the position of the United States government. The merits of our Changed Circumstances Petition are indeed justified when taking into account certain declassified documents that were made available, albeit redacted, many years after the Compact.

    To read more, click here.

    Nuclear Weapons Don’t Belong in Anyone’s Hands

    by Tim Wright

    Many politicians and pundits, as well as retired missile-launch officers, have questioned whether Trump has the temperament and good judgment to wield such tremendous power. During last year’s election campaign, his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, stoked debate on this topic, once quipping: “A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.”

    One cannot sensibly reject nuclear weapons for Trump—or North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, or any other pugnacious head of state—while accepting, even embracing, them for those with friendlier faces. Democracy doesn’t afford public servants the choice to keep nuclear codes from a president whom they deem too impulsive or ruthless or irrational to have them.

    To read more, click here.

    U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy

    Pentagon Panel Urges Trump to Expand Nuclear Options

    A blue-ribbon Pentagon panel has urged the Trump administration to make the U.S. arsenal more capable of “limited” atomic war. The Defense Science Board, in a December report, urges President Trump to consider altering existing and planned U.S. nuclear weapons to achieve a greater number of lower-yield weapons that could provide a “tailored nuclear option for limited use.”

    The Defense Science Board’s nuclear recommendation is buried inside a report titled “Seven Defense Priorities for the New Administration,” which also addresses homeland security, protecting information systems and more. It is similar to the recommendations given to previous administrations. However, the report adds volume to hawkish voices calling for a more usable nuclear arsenal.

    John Donnelly, “Pentagon Panel Urges Trump Team to Expand Nuclear Options,” Roll Call, February 2, 2017.

    U.S. Tests Land-Based and Submarine-Launched Nuclear Missiles

    On February 8, the U.S. test-fired a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Commenting on the test, NAPF President David Krieger said, “Test-firing these missiles while expressing criticism when other countries conduct missile tests is a clear double standard. Such hypocrisy encourages nuclear proliferation and nuclear arms races, and makes the world a more dangerous place.”

    On February 14, an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine launched two Trident II D5 missiles off the coast of California. The U.S. has 14 such submarines, which carry nuclear weapons around the world hidden beneath the ocean. February 14 was also the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which established a nuclear weapon-free zone in Latin America and the Caribbean.

    Janene Scully, “Minuteman Missile Test Blasts Off from Vandenberg Air Force Base,” Noozhawk, February 9, 2017.

    “Missile Test Lights Morning Sky,” Tracy Press, February 17, 2017.

    Catholic Bishop Urges U.S. Secretary of State to Pursue Nuclear Weapons Cuts

    Bishop Oscar Cantu, Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has urged Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to pursue additional reductions in the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia.

    The correspondence pressed Tillerson to build on the New START agreement, a pact negotiated in 2010 that calls for reducing U.S. and Russian deployed strategic nuclear weapons to 1,550 each by 2018.

    Dennis Sadowski, “Bishop Cantu Urges Administration to Pursue Deeper Nuclear Arms Cuts,” Catholic News Service, February 15, 2017.

    Nuclear Insanity

    President Trump Calls for U.S. to Be “Top of the Pack” of Nuclear-Armed States

    In an interview with Reuters, President Donald Trump said that the United States has fallen behind in its nuclear capabilities and will ensure that the U.S. nuclear arsenal is “top of the pack.”

    Trump said, “I am the first one that would like to see … nobody have nukes, but we’re never going to fall behind any country even if it’s a friendly country, we’re never going to fall behind on nuclear power. It would be wonderful, a dream would be that no country would have nukes, but if countries are going to have nukes, we’re going to be at the top of the pack.”

    In the same interview, President Trump called the New START treaty a “one-sided” and “bad” deal. New START limits the U.S. and Russia to equal numbers of deployed strategic nuclear weapons by 2018, and contains other important monitoring and verification measures.

    Steve Holland, “Trump Wants to Make Sure U.S. Nuclear Arsenal at ‘Top of the Pack’,” Reuters, February 24, 2017.

    Nuclear Proliferation

    New Russian ICBMs Can “Rip Apart” U.S. Missile Defense System

    Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has announced the imminent deployment of technologically advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles that will “clear the United States’ missile defense both of today and of tomorrow – and even of the day after tomorrow.”

    Rogozin did not explicitly name the weapon, but he was most likely describing the RS-28 Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, which is being introduced as part of Russia’s nuclear modernization. “We can rip their air defenses apart; at the moment [the US defense shield] poses no serious military threat to us, except for provocations,” Rogozin said.

    “Russia’s New ICBM Can ‘Rip Apart’ U.S. Anti-Missile Systems,” RT, February 20, 2017.

    China Bans Coal Imports from North Korea

    China has announced that it is suspending all imports of coal from North Korea through the end of 2017. Coal is North Korea’s biggest export, and China’s purchases have been a significant source of revenue for Kim Jong-un’s government. China says that the suspension is part of the sanctions related to last year’s UN Security Council resolution passed after North Korea’s fifth nuclear test.

    The full suspension went into effect just one day after North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile on February 12.

    Caroline Mortimer, “China Bans All Coal Imports from North Korea, Severing Major Financial Lifeline for Regime,” Independent, February 18, 2017.

    War and Peace

    U.S. Confirms It Used Depleted Uranium in Syria

    U.S. Central Command said it destroyed Islamic State targets in Syria with depleted uranium rounds despite a promise not to use the ammunition. The United States used significant amounts of depleted uranium during its military operations in Iraq. A 2014 report by the United Nations said the Iraqi government considers use of depleted uranium weapons “a danger to human beings and the environment.”

    The International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons said the areas contaminated by the depleted uranium in Syria “pose a risk to civilian health and must be isolated and addressed as soon as conditions allow.”

    Andrew Pestano, “U.S. Confirms Use of Depleted Uranium Munitions Against Islamic State,” UPI, February 15, 2017.

    President Trump Proposes $54 Billion Increase in Military Budget

    In February, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a $54 billion increase in the military budget and a corresponding decrease to other programs, including the State Department and foreign aid. The U.S. already spends more on its military than the next eight nations combined. Some Democratic lawmakers have criticized this idea specifically because of the cost to education and environmental protection programs. President Trump has vowed to spare Social Security and Medicare from any cuts due to this military spending increase.

    A letter from 120 retired generals and admirals urged Trump not to reduce the money available to diplomacy and aid. They quoted Defense Secretary James Mattis, who in 2013 said, “If you don’t fully fund the State Department, then I need to buy more ammunition.” The letter also said that while the military will “lead the fight against terrorism on the battlefield,” it needs strong partners to combat issues that drive extremism, including insecurity, injustice, hopelessness and lack of opportunity.

    Dan Lamothe, “Retired Generals Cite Past Comments from Mattis While Opposing Trump’s Proposed Foreign Aid Cuts,” Washington Post, February 27, 2017.

    Nuclear Modernization

    Government Estimates Nuclear Modernization Cost at $400 Billion Over 10 Years

    The current plan to modernize U.S. nuclear weapons will cost $400 billion from 2017 to 2026, according to a new government estimate. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates nuclear programs will subsume roughly 6 percent of the overall defense budget during this 10-year period.

    The CBO report, however, does not touch on the question of what happens if the Trump administration moves to change the current plan, a legacy of the Obama administration. President Donald Trump has ordered a formal Nuclear Posture Review, to be headed by Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

    Aaron Mehta, “Nuclear Modernization Costs: $400B Over 10 Years,” Defense News, February 14, 2017.

     Resources

    This Month in Nuclear Threat History

    History chronicles many instances when humans have been threatened by nuclear weapons. In this article, Jeffrey Mason outlines some of the threats that have taken place in the month of March, including the March 28, 1979 partial meltdown of two nuclear reactors at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.

    To read Mason’s full article, click here.

    For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.

    Future of Life Institute Podcast on Nuclear Ban Treaty

    The Future of Life Institute has published a podcast featuring Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and Susi Snyder, Nuclear Disarmament Program Manager for PAX in the Netherlands.

    In this podcast, Fihn and Snyder explain the process that has led to this month’s negotiations on a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons and why it is needed urgently.

    To download the podcast or the full transcript, click here.

    Nuclear Notebook Now in One Location Online

    Since 1987, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has published the Nuclear Notebook, an authoritative accounting of world nuclear arsenals compiled by top experts from the Federation of American Scientists.

    All 30 years of Nuclear Notebook entries are now available from one webpage. The entries provide important details about the nuclear arsenals of each nuclear-armed nation. Click here to view the new page.

    Foundation Activities

    Video Contest: The Most Dangerous Period in Human History

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 2017 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest launched on February 1. This year’s contest invites people to submit videos about why this is the most dangerous period in human history, and what can be done to bring civilization back from the brink.

    The contest is free to enter and is open to people of all ages from anywhere in the world. For more information about the contest, click here.

    16th Annual Kelly Lecture Features Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 16th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future featured legendary Hollywood director Oliver Stone and Professor Peter Kuznick, co-authors of the internationally-acclaimed documentary The Untold History of the United States.

    The event, entitled “Untold History, Uncertain Future,” took place on February 23 at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. Photos, video and audio will be available by mid-March on wagingpeace.org.

    For more information about the Kelly Lecture series, click here.

    Peace Literacy at Oshkosh North High School

    “Peace literacy should be taught in schools. The world would not be as messy,” said Rick Leib, teacher in the Communities program and junior varsity basketball coach at Oshkosh North High School in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, after a day in which NAPF Peace Leadership Director Paul K. Chappell taught three workshops to 150 students from 9th through 12th grades. The students had spent the month of February studying the pilot program for the “waging peace” curriculum.

    To read more about Paul’s recent work at this Wisconsin high school, click here.

    Take Action: Open Letter to Presidents Trump and Putin

    On February 16, The Hill published an open letter to Presidents Trump and Putin signed by NAPF President David Krieger, along with Richard Falk, Jody Williams, Noam Chomsky, Mairead Maguire, Medea Benjamin and Daniel Ellsberg. The letter calls on the two presidents to negotiate for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

    To add your name to the open letter, click here.

    Quotes

     

    “All it takes for evil to rule a land is for good men to remain silent.”

    — Daniel Webster (1782-1852), American politician. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available for purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.

     

    “There cannot be closure without full disclosure.”

    — Tony de Brum, former Foreign Minister of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, speaking about the need for the United States to come clean about the effects of the 67 nuclear weapons tests conducted in the Marshall Islands from 1946-58. His speech at the Marshall Islands’ 2017 Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day event begins at 43:00 at this link.

     

    “The use of even a single nuclear weapon, anywhere in the world, would be a global humanitarian, environmental and economic disaster. A nuclear build-up in the U.S., which would be followed by similar build-ups in other countries, only makes that nightmare scenario more likely.”

    — Bruce Blair, former nuclear missile launch officer and co-founder of Global Zero, speaking out against Donald Trump’s apparent desire to engage in a nuclear arms buildup.

    Editorial Team

     

    Cedric af Geijersstam
    David Krieger
    Carol Warner
    Rick Wayman