Category: Events

Miyoko Matsubara

by David Krieger

I heard from friends in Hiroshima that Miyoko Matsubara left this world on February 9th. She was a very gentle and dedicated hibakusha, who came several times for extended periods to the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in Santa Barbara to practice her English and polish the presentation of her experience as an atomic bomb survivor. She was 13 years old when the atomic bomb destroyed her city. Like so many other survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, she was traumatized by the experience and wanted to assure that no other people or cities suffered the trauma and tragedy that she and her city had.

To read more, click here.

We Call BS

by Emma Gonzalez

We are going to be the kids you read about in textbooks. Not because we’re going to be another statistic about mass shooting in America, but because we are going to be the last mass shooting.

The people in the government who were voted into power are lying to us. And us kids seem to be the only ones who notice and our parents to call BS. Companies trying to make caricatures of the teenagers these days, saying that we are all self-involved and trend-obsessed and they hush us into submission when our message doesn’t reach the ears of the nation, we are prepared to call BS. Politicians who sit in their gilded House and Senate seats funded by the NRA telling us nothing could have been done to prevent this, we call BS. They say tougher guns laws do not decrease gun violence. We call BS. They say a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun. We call BS. They say guns are just tools like knives and are as dangerous as cars. We call BS. They say no laws could have prevented the hundreds of senseless tragedies that have occurred. We call BS. That us kids don’t know what we’re talking about, that we’re too young to understand how the government works. We call BS.

To read more, click here.

How the Pentagon Devours the Budget

by William Hartung

Imagine for a moment a scheme in which American taxpayers were taken to the cleaners to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars and there was barely a hint of criticism or outrage. Imagine as well that the White House and a majority of the politicians in Washington, no matter the party, acquiesced in the arrangement. In fact, the annual quest to boost Pentagon spending into the stratosphere regularly follows that very scenario, assisted by predictions of imminent doom from industry-funded hawks with a vested interest in increased military outlays.

Most Americans are probably aware that the Pentagon spends a lot of money, but it’s unlikely they grasp just how huge those sums really are. All too often, astonishingly lavish military budgets are treated as if they were part of the natural order, like death or taxes.

To read more, click here.

Duck and Cover

by Winslow Myers

Once those articulate Florida high school students, God love them, are finished exposing the craven emptiness of politicians like Marco Rubio and others subverted by the NRA, they might want to turn to nuclear weapons as another sacred cow ripe for the “we call B.S.” treatment.

The acute dangers of gun violence and nuclear weapons offer ominous parallels. Both are deadly serious issues that provoke absurd levels of avoidance and paralysis.

To read more, click here.

Trump Claims U.S. Will Stop Building Nuclear Arsenal if Others Stop First

U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to a gathering of governors and mayors, outlined his administration’s approach to the nuclear arms race. “We’re increasing arsenals of virtually every weapon. We’re modernizing and creating a brand-new nuclear force. And, frankly, we have to do because others are doing it. If they stop, we’ll stop.”

Trump continued, “I hope they stop, and if they do, we’ll stop in two minutes.” He added, “We won’t lead the way, we’ll go along with them.”

Just days earlier, Trump’s Nuclear Posture Review called for four new types of nuclear weapons: an air-launched cruise missile, a new warhead for land-based ICBMs, a “low-yield” warhead for submarines, and a submarine-launched cruise missile.

Rebecca Morin, “Trump: U.S. Will Cease Building Nuclear Arsenal if Other Countries Stop First,” Politico, February 12, 2018.

U.S. Cancels ICBM Test During Olympic Truce

The United States quietly canceled a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test scheduled for February 6 or 7. The test, which would have sent a nuclear-capable missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, would have violated the spirit of the Olympic Truce, which began on February 2.

On February 2, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation sent a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis, encouraging him to postpone any ICBM tests during the Olympic Truce period. The letter stated, “If North Korea were to test an ICBM during the Olympics, many nations, including the United States, would view the act as provocative and threatening. One does not have to stretch the imagination too far to guess how North Korea might react to our testing of ICBMs during the same period.”

Janene Scully, “Vandenberg AFB Minuteman III Test Launch Delayed Ahead of Olympics,” Noozhawk, February 6, 2018.

UN Secretary-General Calls for New Push for Nuclear Disarmament

Speaking at the Conference on Disarmament, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a new global effort to get rid of nuclear weapons. He said, “Countries persist in clinging to the fallacious idea that nuclear arms make the world safer … At the global level, we must work towards forging a new momentum on eliminating nuclear weapons.”

U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood was quick to undermine the Secretary-General’s call, saying that instead of pursuing nuclear disarmament, negotiators must “look reality in the eye.” Wood insisted that now is not the time for bold disarmament initiatives. The French and Chinese ambassadors also sought to downplay Guterres’ strong call for action.

Tom Miles, “UN Chief Calls for New Push to Rid the World of Nuclear Weapons,” Reuters, February 26, 2018.

New Zealand Reinstates Position of Minister for Disarmament

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has reinstated the country’s Cabinet-level position of Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control. The previous government had discontinued the position in 2011.

Prime Minister Ardern said that the position “is an acknowledgement of the emphasis this government places on our long held anti-nuclear stance, and the role we must play now and in the future.”

“Winston Peters Given Newly-Revived Ministerial Role of Nuclear Disarmament,” TVNZ, February 26, 2018.

NAPF Advisors to Suu Kyi: “End Rohingya Genocide”

Three Nobel Peace Laureates – Mairead Maguire, Shirin Ebadi, and Tawakkol Karman – have demanded that fellow Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi take decisive action to end the genocide of Rohingya in Myanmar. Maguire and Ebadi are members of the NAPF Advisory Council.

Speaking after visiting a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, Mairead Maguire said, “The torture, rape and killing of any one member of our human family must be challenged, as in the case of the Rohingya genocide. This is genocide. We can’t remain silent. Silence is complicity.”

Shirin Ebadi said, “With over a million Rohingya displaced, countless dead or missing, and rape and sexual violence being used as a weapon of war, it is well past the time for the international community to act.”

Ruma Paul, “Nobel Peace Laureates to Suu Kyi: ‘End Rohingya Genocide or Face Prosecution’,” Reuters, February 28, 2018.

Top U.S. Diplomat on North Korea Abruptly Resigns

Joseph Yun, a U.S. diplomat with over 30 years of experience, unexpectedly announced that he will retire effective March 2. Yun consistently encouraged dialogue with North Korea, and his absence will likely elevate the dangerous voices within the Trump administration calling for military action against North Korea.

President Trump recently stated, “If the sanctions don’t work, we’ll have to go to phase two, and phase two may be a very rough thing. It may be very, very unfortunate for the world.”

Ellana Lee and Joshua Berlinger, “U.S.’s Top North Korea Diplomat Announces Surprise Retirement,” CNN, February 27, 2018.

Trump Administration Reveals Nuclear Weapons Budget Request

On February 23, the Trump administration released the detailed budget request for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The NNSA is responsible for the nation’s nuclear weapons laboratories, as well as nuclear warhead maintenance, design, and production. This budget request of $15.1 billion is a 17% increase over FY2018 enacted levels, while many other government-funded programs providing benefits to society are being slashed.

The NNSA budget is not the entire U.S. nuclear weapons program. The Department of Defense is responsible for all of the systems to deliver nuclear weapons, such as submarines, aircraft, and land-based missiles.

“Detailed NNSA Budget Accelerates Nuclear Arms Race,” Nuclear Watch New Mexico, February 26, 2018.

Lockheed Martin Receives More U.S. Government Money than Many Federal Agencies

In 2017, the weapons and aerospace company Lockheed Martin made $51 billion in sales. Of this, $35.2 billion was from the U.S. government. This is nearly as much money as the Trump administration proposed for the entire State Department in Fiscal Year 2019.

Lockheed Martin is one of the world’s biggest producers of nuclear weapons components for both the United States’ and United Kingdom’s nuclear arsenals. The company regularly tops the list of corporations that receive the most money from the U.S. government.

Christian Davenport and Aaron Gregg, “Lockheed Martin Got $35.2 Billion from Taxpayers Last Year. That’s More than Many Federal Agencies,” Washington Post, February 16, 2018.

U.S. and Chinese Officials Fight Over Nuclear Football

During President Trump’s trip to China in November 2017, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and a Secret Service agent tussled with Chinese Security officials over the U.S Nuclear weapons briefcase, often called the “nuclear football.” The scuffle took place during Trump’s visit to the Beijing Great Hall of the People. When the U.S. aid carrying the briefcase was denied entrance to the hall, Kelly intervened. A Chinese security guard pushed Kelly, causing a secret service agent to tackle the Chinese security personnel.

In response to the story, the U.S. Secret Service tweeted, “FACT CHECK: Reports about Secret Service agents tackling a host nation official during the President’s trip to China in Nov 2017 are false.”

Jonathan Swan, “Scoop: Skirmish in Beijing Over the Nuclear Football,” Axios, February 18, 2018.

Trump Administration Pursues Deal to Build Nuclear Reactors in Saudi Arabia

On March 1, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry will meet with Saudi officials in London to discuss a deal to build nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration is considering permitting Saudi Arabia to enrich and reprocess uranium as part of a deal that would allow Westinghouse Electric Co. and other U.S. companies to build nuclear reactors in the Middle East kingdom.

Any agreement must be approved by Congress. Senator Ed Markey, in a letter to Rick Perry and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, wrote, “Congress remains in the dark about what exactly is being considered, why we may be re-evaluating our nonproliferation objectives and standards, and how and when this information is being conveyed to Saudi Arabia and other countries around the world.”

Ari Natter, Jennifer Jacobs, and Jennifer Dlouhy, “Perry Plans Nuclear-Energy Talks with Saudis, Sources Say,” Bloomberg, February 26, 2018.

Failed Missile Defense Test Cost $130 Million

On January 31, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency conducted a test of the Raytheon SM-3 Block IIA interceptor missile system. The test, which cost taxpayers $130 million, resulted in failure.

A similar test missile also failed to reach its target in June off Kauai when a sailor on the USS John Paul Jones accidentally pushed a button that caused the missile to self-destruct.

“Failed Missile Test Off of Kauai Costs the U.S. $130m,” Associated Press, February 21, 2018.

The Poison and the Tomb

From 1946-58, the United States conducted 67 nuclear weapon tests in the Marshall Islands. These tests included many of the biggest thermonuclear weapons ever exploded on Earth. The human and environmental consequences of U.S. nuclear testing is immeasurable, and continues to wreak havoc on this Pacific Island nation.

On Enewetak Atoll, the U.S. bulldozed tons of contaminated soil and material into a large bomb crater. They encased it in an 18-inch thick concrete dome, and left it to the elements. The “tomb,” as the locals call it, is cracking and leaking, with no solution in sight.

Kim Wall, Coleen Jose, and Jan Hendrik Hinzel, “The Poison and the Tomb: One Family’s Journey to Their Contaminated Home,” Mashable, February 25, 2018.

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 1, 1954 Castle Bravo nuclear test, the largest nuclear test ever conducted by the United States. At 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, the Castle Bravo test caused untold devastation to the people and the environment of the Marshall Islands.

To read Mason’s full article, click here.

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

Presidential First Use of Nuclear Weapons

On November 4, 2017, Harvard University hosted a symposium entitled “Presidential First Use of Nuclear Weapons: Is It Legal? Is It Constitutional? Is It Just?” A short introductory video along with transcripts of the speeches are now available online.

Click here to watch the six-minute introductory video.

Click here to read the contributions from speakers, including Congressman Jim McGovern, Kenette Benedict, John Burroughs, and Zia Mian.

Atomic Homefront Streaming Free

The powerful documentary film “Atomic Homefront” is about the oldest nuclear weapons wastes of the Atomic Age, from the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s, and the St. Louis, Missouri community’s response to living amidst such risks. The radioactive wastes were illegally dumped at West Lake Landfill in the early 1970s. Located in the Missouri River floodplain, radioactive contaminants have leaked out of West Lake Landfill for decades, flowing with wind and water into surrounding neighborhoods. An underground fire, smoldering for years in an immediately adjacent municipal garbage dump, is now burning within hundreds of feet of the radioactive waste, and has dramatically exacerbated concerns.

Atomic Homefront is streaming free on HBO through March 18. Click here to watch it.

TEDx Talk by Atmospheric Scientist Brian Toon

Brian Toon, a professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado-Boulder, has been studying the effects of nuclear war for 35 years. In this TEDx talk, he explains how even a small nuclear war could destroy all life on Earth, and what we can do to prevent it.

Click here to watch the video.

Don’t Bank on the Bomb Coming March 7

The 2018 edition of the “Don’t Bank on the Bomb” report will be released on March 7. The report details the many companies around the world involved in the production of nuclear weapons, as well as the institutions that finance the nuclear weapon producers.

The report also highlights financial institutions that have decided to implement explicit policies not to finance companies that produce nuclear weapons.

For more information on the report, click here.

March 7 Webinar: Women Waging Peace

On March 7, the eve of International Women’s Day, please join us for a free webinar featuring our 2018 Kelly Lecturer, Christine Ahn, and NAPF Advisor Medea Benjamin. These outstanding peace leaders will join us live to talk about the indispensable role of women in building peace in Korea and around the world.

The webinar will take place from 12:30 – 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. It is free to participate. To register, click here.

2018 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest

The 2018 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest is accepting entries through April 1. The contest is free to enter and is open to people of all ages around the world. The topic of this year’s contest is “Creating a Nuclear-Free Future: The Role of Young People.”

Contestants will make videos of 2 minutes or less about the role that young people have in abolishing nuclear weapons. It can be what they or other young people are doing now, or an idea of what they think can be done.

For more information and complete instructions on how to enter, go to www.peacecontests.org.

Preventing War: Crisis and Opportunity with North Korea

On March 7, 2018, Christine Ahn will deliver the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 17th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future. Ahn’s lecture is entitled “Preventing War: Crisis and Opportunity with North Korea.”

Christine Ahn is the Founder and International Coordinator of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War, reunite families, and ensure women’s leadership in peace building. She is co-founder of the Korea Peace Network, Korea Policy Institute and Global Campaign to Save Jeju Island.

The event is free and open to the public. The lecture will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Karpeles Manuscript Library, 21 W. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. For more information, click here.

“When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?”

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

“In our hearts we know that we can never use these bombs, and therefore to own them and to perpetuate the myth of deterrence is a moral failure.”

— The Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford, speaking at a debate on nuclear weapons in the House of Lords (UK).

“They will find out in about 30 minutes.”

— Gen. John Hyten, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, when asked whether Russia could distinguish a low-yield from a high-yield nuclear weapon before it explodes.

“The only role the UC really plays is to provide a fig leaf of academic cover to the creation of weapons of mass murder.”

— Jackie Cabasso, Executive Director of Western States Legal Foundation, talking about the University of California’s management of the United States’ nuclear weapons laboratories.

Natalie Aldrich
Joy Ferguson
David Krieger
Lauren Lankenau
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman

With Nuclear Weapons, Evacuation Is Not an Option

by David Krieger

My wife and I and other members of our family have been living through the nightmarish disaster that struck our community of Montecito. First came the fire and then came the floods.

In our community, we have been living through radical uncertainty from forces of nature. But we also live daily with the radical uncertainty of nuclear survival, which is not a force of nature, but rather a man-made threat. It is a threat entirely of our own making, and it can be remedied by facing it and doing something about it, namely convening the nuclear-armed countries to negotiate the phased, verifiable, irreversible and transparent elimination of these weapons. And, as a step prior to this, or simultaneously, to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which includes prohibitions on the development, deployment, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons.

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

Approaching the Apocalypse, the Doomsday Clock Moves Forward

by Bob Dodge

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has just moved their Doomsday Clock forward to two minutes to midnight. Midnight represents nuclear apocalypse. The Clock is recognized around the world as an indicator of the world’s vulnerability to catastrophe from nuclear weapons, climate change, and emerging technologies. Each year the decision to move the Clock, or not, is determined by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes 15 Nobel laureates.

In making this year’s move to two minutes to midnight, the Bulletin stated that “in 2017, world leaders failed to respond effectively to the looming threat of nuclear war and climate change, making the worlds security situation more dangerous than it was a year ago–and as dangerous as it has been since World War II.”

To read more, click here.

We Can Avoid War with North Korea if We Listen to Women Peacemakers

by Erica Fein

The U.S. and North Korea have been at war for 67 years. Between 1950 and 1953, the Korean War killed over two million Koreans, 36,500 American troops, and hundreds of thousands more from other countries on both sides. Since then, a united Korea for well over a thousand years has given way to a stark division. Hundreds of thousands of family members physically torn apart by war and outside aggressors know that with each passing day, hope fades that they will reunite.

But now, conventional thinking isn’t just continuing the status quo—it’s putting us on a path to renewed war. If we want to truly achieve peace, we must listen to the voices of those who have witnessed the human costs of war on the Korean Peninsula. And, on all sides of the negotiating table, women must be heard.

To read more, click here.

The U.S. Has Military Bases in 80 Countries. All of them Must Close.

by Alice Slater

On the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Baltimore University hosted more than 200 activists in the peace, environment, and social justice movements to launch a timely new initiative, the Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases.

In a series of panels over two days, conference speakers from every corner of the globe proceeded to describe the extraordinary cruelty and toxic lethality of U.S. foreign policy. We learned that the United States has approximately 800 formal military bases in 80 countries, a number that could exceed 1,000 if you count troops stationed at embassies and missions and so-called “lily-pond” bases, with some 138,000 soldiers stationed around the globe.

To read more, click here.

Trump Nuclear Posture Review Calls for New Nuclear Weapons

The Trump administration released its Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) on February 2. The document calls for new “low-yield” nuclear weapons in order to “enhance deterrence by denying potential adversaries any mistaken confidence that limited nuclear employment can provide a useful advantage over the United States and its allies.”

Despite overwhelming expert opinion that introducing more “low-yield” nuclear weapons will lower the threshold for actual use of nuclear weapons, the document states that such action will “raise the nuclear threshold…making nuclear employment less likely.”

Ashley Feinberg, “Exclusive: Here Is a Draft of Trump’s Nuclear Review. He Wants a Lot More Nukes,” Huffington Post, January 11, 2018.

U.S. Plans Nuclear Missile Tests During Olympic Truce

The U.S. Air Force plans to conduct two test launches of its Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile in February, while the Olympic Truce is meant to be in force.

“There are two launches currently scheduled for February that have been scheduled for three to five years” to test the reliability and accuracy of the Minuteman III missiles, according to Captain Anastasia Schmidt, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Global Strike Command, which manages ICBMs and long-range bombers.

The Air Force has cancelled or postponed Minuteman III launches in the past due to unfavorable weather, technical problems, and other reasons. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has called on U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis to postpone these provocative ICBM launches at least until after the Olympic Truce ends in March.

Anthony Capaccio, “U.S. Sticks to ICBM Test-Flight Plan Despite North Korea Tensions,” Bloomberg, January 11, 2018.

South Korean Foreign Minister Says Military Option Is Unacceptable

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, South Korea’s Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-Wha, emphasized the need for the North Korean crisis to be solved with diplomatic, not military, means. She urged the U.S. to avoid military options, saying, “This is our future at stake.”

Kang also commented on the recent Olympic Truce, which has brought a lull in tensions and a rare opportunity for dialogue between the two countries. She said, “This is an opportunity for engagement and a peaceful engagement around the Olympic Games, and we just need to make the best of it.”

Soyoung Kim, “South Korea Minister Says Military Option ‘Unacceptable’ on North Korea Crisis,” Reuters, January 25, 2018.

India Tests Long-Range Missile that Can Reach Most of China

On January 18, India conducted a successful test of its Agni 5 ballistic missile, a long-range missile that travelled over 3,000 miles. The test is significant to India’s relationship with its most powerful neighbor, China, which it can now reach with the new ICBM technology. India previously did not have the technology to reach “high value” targets in China with nuclear weapons, but this test demonstrated its ability to threaten Chinese coastal cities, such as Shanghai.

Despite a generally non-hostile relationship between China and India, previous conflicts have caused tensions between the two countries, such as a recent border dispute over land in the Himalayas. It is unclear how India’s newest achievements in nuclear technology will affect their relationship.

Kai Schultz and Hari Kumar, “India Tests Ballistic Missile, Posing New Threat to China,” The New York Times, January 18, 2018.

Outgoing head of U.S. Nuclear Agency Warns They Are Already Operating at Capacity

Frank Klotz, the outgoing head of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), warned that the agency does not have the ability to engage in additional nuclear weapons “modernization” projects. Klotz said, “We’re pretty much at capacity in terms of people… We’re pretty much at capacity in terms of the materials that we need to do this work. And we’re pretty much at capacity in terms of hours in the day at our facilities to do this work.”

The Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review calls for even more work on existing and new nuclear weapons. Klotz expects the NNSA will require even more funding than the initial estimate of $350 billion over the next 30 years, as warhead manufacturing, infrastructure improvements, and construction of processing facilities will all be necessary to complete the “modernization” program.

Aaron Mehta, “As Trump Seeks New Nuke Options, Weapons Agency Head Warns of Capacity Overload,” Defense News, January 23, 2018.

Hawaii False Alarm Was Not an Accident

A January 13 emergency alert sent to cell phones in Hawaii warning of an incoming ballistic missile was a false alarm, but it was sent by an emergency worker who believed the state was under attack. The employee of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency was fired after mistaking a drill for a true emergency.

The text message, in all caps, read, “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.” The message was not corrected for 38 minutes, leading to widespread panic throughout the state.

Laurel Wamsley, “Worker Who Sent Hawaii False Alert Thought Missile Attack Was Imminent,” NPR, January 30, 2018.

A Tragic Past at China’s Mao-Era Nuclear Plant

Jinyintan, a remote city in China’s northwest region, has become a monument to China’s nuclear weapons development during the Mao era, and a tourist attraction for domestic travelers. The city was home to Plant 221, the hub of Mao’s nuclear weapons program. At its peak, 30,000 scientists, workers, and guards lived there, working day and night in the plant’s 18 labs, workshops, and buildings.

Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s celebration of Plant 221, herders, scientists, and police officers that worked on and around the plant have come out with haunting stories of forced relocation, brutal interrogations, and executions. Over 9,000 farmers and herders who lived on the land before the project began were imprisoned or forced into brutal marches, where many died.

During Mao’s Cultural Revolution of 1966, suspicion, infighting, and random purges infected the plant—some 4,000 scientists and technicians were interrogated, and 50 were executed under accusations of treason.

Chris Buckley and Adam Wu, “Where China Built Its Bomb, Dark Memories Haunt the Ruins,” The New York Times, January 20, 2018.

Sweden Denies Nuclear Waste Permit

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) has been denied a license for the creation of a spent nuclear fuel repository in Forsmark, Sweden. The Swedish NGO Office for Nuclear Waste Review (MKG) and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) praised the Swedish Environmental Court for its decision on the license application.

“The Swedish Environmental Court’s NO to the Final Repository for Spent Nuclear Fuel – A Triumph for the Environmental Movement and the Science,” MKG, January 23, 2018.

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 February, including the February 1, 2006 attempted sale of 79.5 grams of highly enriched uranium in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

To read Mason’s full article, click here.

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

North Korean Nuclear Capabilities in 2018

Hans Kristensen and Robert Norris have published a new edition of “Nuclear Notebook” in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, examining North Korea’s nuclear capabilities in detail.

The authors cautiously estimate that North Korea may have produced enough fissile material to build between 30 and 60 nuclear weapons, and that it might possibly have assembled 10 to 20. Although North Korea is thought to have the capability to develop an operationally functioning re-entry vehicle to deliver an operational nuclear warhead, there is some uncertainty about whether it has demonstrated that it has succeeded in doing so. Nonetheless, North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has made considerable progress over the years, including a wide variety of ballistic and powerful nuclear tests. Presumably, if it hasn’t happened already, it is only a matter of time before Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal can be considered fully functioning.

Click here to download the full report.

The Deterrence Myth

Writing in Aeon, scholar David Barash lays out a scathing critique of the myth of nuclear deterrence.

Barash writes, “The public has been bamboozled by the shiny surface appearance of deterrence, with its promise of strength, security and safety. But what has been touted as profound strategic depth crumbles with surprising ease when subjected to critical scrutiny.”

To read the full article, click here.

Announcing the 2018 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest

On February 1, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation announced the 2018 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest. The contest is free to enter and is open to people of all ages around the world. The topic of this year’s contest is “Creating a Nuclear-Free Future: The Role of Young People.”

Contestants will make videos of 2 minutes or less about the role that young people have in abolishing nuclear weapons. It can be what they or other young people are doing now, or an idea of what they think can be done.

For more information and complete instructions on how to enter, go to www.peacecontests.org.

Preventing War: Crisis and Opportunity with North Korea

On March 7, 2018, Christine Ahn will deliver the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 17th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future. Ahn’s lecture is entitled “Preventing War: Crisis and Opportunity with North Korea.”

Christine Ahn is the Founder and International Coordinator of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War, reunite families, and ensure women’s leadership in peace building. She is co-founder of the Korea Peace Network, Korea Policy Institute and Global Campaign to Save Jeju Island.

The event is free and open to the public. The lecture will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Karpeles Manuscript Library, 21 W. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. For more information, click here.

NAPF Intern Publishes Article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

NAPF intern Alanna Richards, a senior at Westmont College, has published an article about the Olympic Truce in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Alanna connects her transformative experiences as a college athlete to the global impacts of the Olympic Truce.

She writes, “By pushing the world to see past Kim Jong-un and to look instead at athletes from his country, who are more similar to Americans than we might think, we can glimpse the humanity of North Korea and ourselves.”

Click here to read the full article.

Join Us This Summer for a Rewarding Internship

Applications for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s summer internships are due on March 1. We offer both paid and volunteer internships. Our interns come from around the world and work together with the NAPF staff at our headquarters in Santa Barbara, California for 10 weeks.

For more information about our internship program, including how to apply, click here.

Stop an Unconstitutional War with North Korea

Bills currently before the House of Representatives and the Senate aim to stop an unconstitutional attack against North Korea.

The bills, H.R. 4837 and S.2016, would prohibit the president from launching a first strike against North Korea without congressional approval. The bills also call on the president to “initiate negotiations designed to achieve a diplomatic agreement to halt and eventually reverse North Korea’s nuclear and missile pursuits.”

The bill in the House currently has 65 co-sponsors, while the bill in the Senate has only four senators. More are urgently needed. Please take a moment to write your elected officials about H.R. 4837 and S.2016.

Click here to take action.

“In an all-out nuclear war, more destructive power than in all of World War II would be unleashed every second during the long afternoon it would take for all the missiles and bombs to fall. A World War II every second — more people killed in the first few hours than all the wars of history put together. The survivors, if any, would live in despair amid the poisoned ruins of a civilization that had committed suicide.”

— Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. President. February 19th is Presidents’ Day in the United States. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available to purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.

“What happened in Hawaii should spur us to action to eliminate this threat once and for all. We must not wait for a real incoming missile to blast apart a beloved city, to incinerate our—or anyone else’s—families and friends. We should use this moment as a wake-up call.”

— Ray Acheson, writing in The Nation.

“If you are uncomfortable with Trump and Kim Jong-un having nuclear weapons, you are probably uncomfortable with nuclear weapons in general.”

— Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, in a January 23 tweet.

Joy Ferguson
David Krieger
Aidan Powers-Riggs
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman

Decoding Donald

by David Krieger

The future of the world and of humanity is at the mercy of a lunatic. His name is Donald Trump, and he alone has access to the U.S. nuclear codes. Before he does something rash and irreversible with those codes, it is imperative to decode Donald, taking the necessary steps to remove this power from him.

Trump is exactly the type of person who should not be anywhere near the nuclear codes. He is not calm, thoughtful, deliberate, cautious, or well-informed. Rather, he is erratic, thin-skinned, narcissistic and self-absorbed. He takes slights personally and likes to punch back hard. He could be insulted and backed into a corner, and decide that nuclear weapons are the solution to what he takes to be taunting behavior. He could be awakened at 3:00 a.m., and make a hasty decision to launch the U.S. nuclear arsenal instead of a tweet.

To read more, click here.

Women Leaders Aren’t Making Enough Foreign Policy Decisions, and it’s a Problem

by Meredith Horowski and Lillyanne Daigle

While women are leading the resistance, the halls of power in D.C. and states across the country lag pathetically behind. We saw this perhaps most vividly when Trump gathered an all-male group of politicians at the White House to discuss his efforts to gut women’s health care. In a single photograph, the gross underrepresentation of women’s voices in government and on issues directly impacting their lives was crystal clear.

And it was exactly that photograph — and the utterly out-of-sync gender dynamics it laid bare — that stuck in our minds this month as we sat in a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Trump’s unrestrained power to wage nuclear war. A committee with a 20:1 male-to-female ratio heard testimony from three men on whether one man should have total, unchecked power to start a nuclear war and blow up the planet. This is a system that, as Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) said, “boggles the rational mind.”

Apparently, the Senate has a one-woman limit when it comes to foreign policy.

To read the full article at Teen Vogue, click here.

Address to Nuclear Disarmament Conference

by Pope Francis

Nor can we fail to be genuinely concerned by the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental effects of any employment of nuclear devices. If we also take into account the risk of an accidental detonation as a result of error of any kind, the threat of their use, as well as their very possession, is to be firmly condemned. For they exist in the service of a mentality of fear that affects not only the parties in conflict but the entire human race. International relations cannot be held captive to military force, mutual intimidation, and the parading of stockpiles of arms. Weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, create nothing but a false sense of security. They cannot constitute the basis for peaceful coexistence between members of the human family, which must rather be inspired by an ethics of solidarity. Essential in this regard is the witness given by the Hibakusha, the survivors of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, together with other victims of nuclear arms testing. May their prophetic voice serve as a warning, above all for coming generations!

To read more, click here.

U.S. Tweeted False Information About Its Nuclear Arsenal

U.S. Strategic Command, which is in charge of all U.S. nuclear weapons, posted a link on its official Twitter account to an article falsely claiming that the U.S. maintains “secret silos” for its nuclear warheads, and has “B-1 bombers that can drop them from the air.”

Experts immediately criticized the tweet, since the U.S. does not have secret silos, and B-1 bombers are not nuclear-capable. Tweeting out the article only increases the chance of miscalculation between North Korea and the United States while tensions between the two nuclear powers are already sky-high.

Alex Ward, “The U.S. Military Tweeted Out Bad Information About Its Nukes. North Korea Will Notice,” Vox, November 15, 2017.

University of Texas Seeks to Manage U.S. Nuclear Weapons Lab

The University of Texas (UT) Board of Regents voted 3-2 to submit a bid to manage Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), one of the United States’ two primary nuclear weapons labs. UT submitted an unsuccessful bid to run the lab in 2005.

LANL has a history of nuclear weapon research and design dating back to the Manhattan Project in the 1940s.

The lab is currently run by the University of California in a for-profit partnership with Bechtel National, Inc. The University of California has managed the nation’s nuclear weapons labs in New Mexico and California since the labs’ inception.

Alyssa Goard, “UT System Will Submit Bid to Operate Los Alamos National Laboratory,” KXAN, November 27, 2017.

ICAN to Accept Nobel Peace Prize on December 10

Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), and Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and a tireless campaigner for the abolition of nuclear weapons, will accept the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the global campaign in Oslo on December 10. At least two other survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings are expected to attend.

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has been a Partner Organization in ICAN since its inception in 2007. Setsuko Thurlow is the recipient of NAPF’s 2015 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award and serves on the NAPF Advisory Council.

“Three A-bomb survivors to attend Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in December,” Kyodo, October 27, 2017.

Mexico Ratifies Nuclear Ban Treaty

Mexico is the fourth country to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, as its Senate voted unanimously to approve Mexico’s participation in the treaty. Prohibitions in the treaty include developing, acquiring, storing, using or threatening to use any atomic explosive device or nuclear weapon of any kind.

Fernando Torres Graciano, president of the National Defense Commission, encouraged other countries to ratify the treaty as well. He said, “Instead of resistance to nuclear disarmament, governments should promote programs to address the most important problems in the world, such as poverty and hunger.”

In order for the treaty to enter into force, 50 countries must ratify the treaty.

“Mexico’s Senate Approved the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,” Puerto Vallarta News, November 28, 2017.

South Korea Wants to Cancel Military Drills During Winter Olympics

Song Young-gil, the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation, said that the South Korean government wants to stop joint military drills with the United States during the upcoming PyeongChang Olympic Games.

“The first step toward alleviating tensions is North Korea’s abandoning of its programs and the U.S. and its allies scaling down of joint military drills, simultaneously,” said Igor Morgulov, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Olympics have long been associated with peace or at least a temporary cessation of hostilities. In 776 BC, a truce was announced before the Olympic games to ensure that the host city was not attacked and that spectators and athletes could attend safely.

Nam Hyun-woo, “Government Wants to Delay Korea-U.S. Military Drills,” The Korea Times, November 27, 2017.

Russia Admits Significant Radioactive Leak

Authorities detected a radioactive cloud over Europe between September 27 and October 13. After months of denying anything outside the normal levels of radiation, Russian officials admitted that there was a leak of ruthenium-106 in the southern Urals in September. Levels reached 986 times the normal pollution of the element just south of the Mayak facility, where in 1957 an explosion caused the third-most detrimental radioactive accident in history (the first two being Chernobyl and Fukushima.) It affected 227,000 people, exposing them to lethal amounts of radiation. Many accidents have happened at the facility since its opening in 1948.

The French nuclear safety institute (IRSN) said that such an event in France would have resulted in several kilometers of evacuation.

Mark Bennets, “Russia Admits Nuclear Leak Near Site of 1957 Disaster,” The Times, November 21, 2017.

U.S. and Russia Engaged in a Costly New Nuclear Arms Race

In 2010, the Obama administration negotiated the New START treaty with Russia, which limited both sides’ deployed strategic nuclear weapons to 1,550. Despite both countries being on track to meeting the limit by the 2018 deadline, experts and former officials say that the risk of nuclear conflict is far from eliminated. In fact, the stricter limitation on the number of weapons allowed has only spurred both countries to initiate modernization programs to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and lethality of their weapons systems.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the U.S. “modernization” effort will cost $1.25 trillion over 30 years. Supporters of the program argue that it consists primarily of tweaks and improvements, not development of new weapons or capabilities. Critics suggest that the new improvements are so substantial that they will reshape U.S. nuclear capability, making the use of nuclear weapons more tempting. They also point to Russia’s parallel modernization as evidence of a dangerous new arms race.

Scot Paltrow, “Special Report: in Modernizing Nuclear Arsenal, U.S. Stokes New Arms Race“, U.S. News & World Report, November 21, 2017.

U.S. Seeks to Violate INF Treaty as Revenge for Russia Violating the INF Treaty

The Obama administration suspected for years, and later confirmed, that Russia built a missile in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Signed by President Ronald Reagan, the bilateral U.S.-Russian pact prohibits construction, testing or deployment of missiles or delivery systems with a range of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.

The Trump administration is now supporting Congressional efforts to also violate the INF Treaty by building a cruise missile in the prohibited range.

“It would be a mistake to believe that the pursuit of a INF-noncompliant cruise missile by the United States will compel Russia to acknowledge and rectify its suspected INF violations,” said Arms Control Association Executive Director Daryl Kimball.

Josh Rogin, “Russia Has Deployed a Banned Nuclear Missile. Now the U.S. Threatens to Build One,” Washington Post, November 16, 2017.

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 December, including the December 18, 1970 U.S. nuclear weapon test in Nevada, which resulted in a significant release of radioactive material into the environment.

To read Mason’s full article, click here.

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

The Doomsday Machine: New Book by NAPF Distinguished Fellow Daniel Ellsberg

The Doomsday Machine, a new book by NAPF Fellow Daniel Ellsberg, is now available for pre-order. It will be released on December 5. Ellsberg, the legendary whistleblower who revealed the Pentagon Papers, was a presidential advisor and nuclear strategist. The Doomsday Machine is Ellsberg’s hair-raising account of the most dangerous arms build-up in the history of civilization, whose legacy – and proposed renewal under the Trump administration – threatens the very survival of humanity.

To pre-order the book from Amazon, click here.

To read a review by NAPF intern Joy Ferguson, a senior at Westmont College, click here.

Cybersecurity, Nuclear Security, Alan Turing, and Illogical Logic

NAPF Associate Martin Hellman received the 2015 Association for Computing Machinery Turing Award for his work on cryptography. In his lecture accepting the prestigious award, Hellman makes a strong connection between cybersecurity and nuclear security.

In examining the risk involved with nuclear weapons, Hellman said, “To put such risk in perspective, even if nuclear deterrence could be expected to work for 500 years before it failed and destroyed civilization—a time horizon that sounds optimistic to most people—it would be equivalent to playing Russian roulette with the life of a child born today. That is because that child’s expected lifetime is roughly one-sixth of 500 years. If the time horizon is more like 100 years, the child’s odds are worse than 50/50.”

To read Hellman’s full lecture, click here.

Conference on U.S. Foreign Military Bases

On January 12-14, 2018, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is co-sponsoring a conference in Baltimore about the hundreds of U.S. military bases around the world. The unity statement that is the basis for the conference states that “U.S. foreign military bases are the principal instruments of imperial global domination and environmental damage through wars of aggression and occupation, and that the closure of U.S. foreign military bases is one of the first necessary steps toward a just, peaceful and sustainable world.”

For more information and to register to attend, click here.

The Dome

The program Foreign Correspondent on Australia’s ABC TV has produced a new documentary entitled “The Dome.” The program examines the toxic legacy of the Runit Dome, an 18-inch-thick concrete dome constructed by the United States in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The dome contains highly-toxic waste from many of the United States’ 67 nuclear weapons tests conducted in the Marshall Islands from 1946-58.

The concrete dome, which was intended to last for hundreds of years, is already cracked and leaking. Rising sea levels and the increased intensity of storms due to climate change threaten an even greater catastrophe.

To watch the 41-minute documentary, click here.

Create Your Own Facebook Fundraiser to Benefit NAPF this Holiday Season

NAPF intern Aidan Powers-Riggs, a student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has made a video for NAPF supporters explaining how to create a fundraiser to benefit NAPF from one’s personal Facebook page.

Aidan walks viewers through each step in the simple process. This is a great way for individuals to support the important work of NAPF while sharing their passion for peace and nuclear disarmament with their Facebook community.

To watch the 3-minute video, click here.

Letter in the Los Angeles Times

On November 24, the Los Angeles Times published a letter to the editor by NAPF Director of Programs Rick Wayman. Rick’s letter was in response to an editorial opposing the “Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017” introduced in Congress by Rep. Ted Lieu and Sen. Ed Markey. The LA Times editors argued that it is vital for President Trump to retain the unilateral authority to use nuclear weapons first against an adversary.

Wayman wrote in part, “Deterrence will only work up until the moment that it fails. Once it fails, we will only have a moment to regret not taking action when we had the chance.”

To read the full letter, click here.

Peace Literacy and Rotary International

On November 10, 2017, Paul K. Chappell, NAPF Peace Leadership Director, spoke about peace literacy and our shared humanity to over 500 former, current, and future Rotary district governors from six states and Vancouver Island at the Rotary International Institute, Zones 25/26. This represented a new level of interaction between NAPF and one of the world’s largest service organizations with a background of almost 100 years of peace projects and initiatives.

Recommended by a Rotarian with strong ties to the Dayton International Peace Museum, Chappell began his journey with Rotary in April 2015 with his talk on “Why Peace Is Possible,” at the Southwestern Ohio Rotary District 6670 conference. The event generated comments such as, “He [Paul] presents a unique view on peace that makes you really start to think,” “Very practical approach in presentation,” and “I was changed. I went in thinking that peace was impossible. Left thinking that there is a way to spread peace. Slow and steady, like curing polio.”

To read more about Paul’s involvement with Rotary International, click here.

Rick Wayman Participates in Vatican Nuclear Disarmament Conference

NAPF’s Director of Programs Rick Wayman was invited to participate in the Vatican’s November 10-11 conference “Prospects for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament.” On the first day of the conference, Rick had the honor of hearing Pope Francis deliver an address on nuclear disarmament (see Perspectives, above) and to personally exchange greetings with the pontiff.

For those in the Santa Barbara area, Rick will report back on the Vatican trip at a meeting at the NAPF headquarters on December 6 at 2:00 pm. For more information and to RSVP, please contact us at (805) 965-3443.

New Nukes Are Nuts Merchandise

Just in time for the holiday season, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has some new “Nukes Are Nuts” merchandise in stock and ready to ship. We have t-shirts for adults, onesies for babies, and reusable organic cotton tote bags for everyone.

Be sure to check out the NAPF Peace Store for these and many other great gifts, including books on peace.

For shipping outside of the United States, please contact rwayman@napf.org for a specific quote.

No Unconstitutional Strike Against North Korea

A bill in the House of Representatives seeks to stop an unconstitutional attack against North Korea. The bill, H.R. 4140, would prohibit the president from launching a first strike against North Korea without congressional approval. The bill also calls on the president to “initiate negotiations designed to achieve a diplomatic agreement to halt and eventually reverse North Korea’s nuclear and missile pursuits.”

The bill currently has 61 co-sponsors, and more are urgently needed. Click here to take action.

“Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.”

— Buddha. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action. Order copies today in the NAPF Peace Store for holiday gifts to the peace lovers in your life.

“They like their nuclear weapons very much and don’t like it when we try to ban them.”

— Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, speaking about the protest of the U.S., UK, and France, which are sending only low-level diplomats to the December 10 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

“We urge you to reject calls to develop new low-yield [nuclear] weapons or to increase nuclear delivery systems beyond those already planned, which are simply divorced from budgetary realities.”

— A letter to Secretaries Tillerson, Mattis, and Perry from 15 U.S. senators.

Joy Ferguson
David Krieger
Aidan Powers-Riggs
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman

Nobel Peace Prize for ICAN’s Nuclear Weapon Ban Is Spot On

by David Krieger

The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize does not go to a politician or political leader. In fact, it does not single out any individual. Rather, it goes to a campaign, the International Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), composed of more than 450 civil society organizations in some 100 countries around the globe. It goes to a broad base of civil society organizations working in coalition to ban and eliminate nuclear weapons.

In this sense, the award goes to the extraordinary people (“We, the People…”) throughout the world who have stepped up to end the threat to all humanity posed by the nearly 15,000 nuclear weapons still remaining on the planet.

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

The Nuclear Dreams of President Donald Trump: Nightmares Past and Present

by Rebecca Gordon

Preventing a nuclear war between the United States and North Korea may be the most pressing challenge facing the world right now.

Our childish, ignorant, and incompetent president is shoving all of us — especially the people of Asia — ever nearer to catastrophe. While North Korea probably hasn’t yet developed the missiles to deliver a nuclear warhead to the U.S. mainland, it certainly has the capacity to reach closer targets, including South Korea and Japan.

But what can ordinary people do about it? Our fingers are far removed from the levers of power, while the tiny digits of the man occupying the “adult day care center” we call the White House hover dangerously close to what people my age used to call “the Button.” Nevertheless, I think there may still be time to put our collective foot on the brakes, beginning with the promise of a bill currently languishing in Congress.

To read more, click here.

Rethinking the Three Rs

by Brooke Takala

Until quite recently, ‘the 3 Rs’ simply meant reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmatic. One could very well get by with basic competencies in literacy and math.

The shift we see through acceptance of a total and legally binding ban on nuclear weapons is, at its core, an ideological and philosophical one. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a milestone in the ongoing reframing of global security concepts. While some may see the ban treaty as a stand against nuclear weapons states, we can also understand the action as taking a stand for peace by legally de-legitimizing weapons of mass destruction.

However, reframing is directly linked to access to knowledge. The less we know, the less we question what is acceptable. The more we know the more action we are likely to take when the human consequences of the nuclear cycle are recognized. Hence, the 3 Rs of Human Security embedded in the nuclear ban treaty: Recognition, Restitution, and Remediation.

To read more, click here.

NATO Nuclear Weapons Exercises Take Place in Europe

On October 16, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) began its annual nuclear weapons exercises. The “Steadfast Noon” exercises took place at two bases where the United States deploys nuclear weapons: Kleine Brogel in Belgium and Büchel in Germany.

The U.S. currently deploys approximately 180 nuclear weapons in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey.

Julian E. Barnes, “NATO Launches Its Main Nuclear Drill, Showcasing Its Defenses,” Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2017.

Vice President Visits Nuclear Weapons Base

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota on October 27, telling the airmen to “stay sharp” and “be ready” in the face of what he called an increasing threat from North Korea. Minot AFB hosts 26 B-52 nuclear-armed bomber aircraft and commands 150 Minuteman III nuclear-armed Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles.

The U.S. nuclear weapons at Minot AFB alone are capable of indiscriminately killing hundreds of millions of people. Despite this, Pence said, “There’s no greater element of American strength, there’s no greater force for peace in the world than the United States nuclear arsenal.”

Julia Manchester, “Pence to Military on North Korea: ‘Be Ready’,” The Hill, October 28, 2017.

Setsuko Thurlow, Hiroshima Survivor and NAPF Advisor, to Jointly Accept Nobel Peace Prize

Setsuko Thurlow, who was 13 years old when she survived the United States’ atomic bombing of Hiroshima, will jointly accept the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize on December 10 with Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Thurlow said, “Survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are living witnesses to the horror of nuclear war. They have played a central role in ICAN. World leaders must heed their call for a nuclear-weapon-free future.”

Setsuko Thurlow has dedicated her life to campaigning for the abolition of nuclear weapons. In 2015, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation gave her its Distinguished Peace Leadership Award, and she has continued her involvement with NAPF as a member of the Advisory Council.

“Atomic Bomb Survivor to Jointly Accept Nobel Peace Prize on ICAN’s Behalf,” International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, October 26, 2017.

Nobel Foundation Stops Investing in Nuclear Weapon Producers

Just weeks after awarding the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the Nobel Foundation has announced that it is implementing a policy to no longer invest in companies that are involved in the production of nuclear weapons.

“One can discuss that we should have done that earlier, but we sharpened our standards in March and we are now following through with it,” said Nobel Foundation director Lars Heikensten. “At the latest, by March next year we will have no investment in anything that is connected with any kind of production which is classified as connected with nuclear weapons,” he said.

“Nobel Prize Money Will No Longer be ‘Invested” in Nuclear Weapons,” Agence France Presse, October 27, 2017.

President Trump Refuses to Certify Iran’s Compliance with Nuclear Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump refused to certify that Iran is acting in compliance with its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal. Congress requires that the U.S. President certify Iran’s compliance every 90 days. By refusing to certify, Trump has set the stage for Congress to re-impose economic sanctions against Iran, which would put the U.S. in violation of the deal.

“President Trump’s rejection of the JCPOA is an incitement to proliferation, makes achieving further agreements to rein in the nuclear threat more difficult, and increases global risk of nuclear use,” the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said in a statement.

“Nobel Peace Laureates Denounce Trump’s Iran Move,” Agence France Presse, October 13, 2017.

Trump to Visit Asia in Early November

U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit several Asian countries in early November. He is scheduled to visit China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea over a one-week period. President Trump has chosen not to visit the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.

The U.S. has continued to prepare for war with North Korea. According to Christine Ahn, Executive Director of Women Cross DMZ, “The U.S. has sent three nuclear aircraft carriers to be docked on the Korean Peninsula. They have been conducting very provocative joint war exercises with South Korea, including Navy SEALs that took out Osama bin Laden. They do include the decapitation strikes. And so, it’s one thing to say, ‘We don’t want war with North Korea,’ and another to actually be laying the grounds for that.”

“Trump Admin Continues Threats and Provocations Against North Korea, Laying Groundwork for Nuclear War,” Democracy Now, October 30, 2017.

British Nuclear Submarine Crew Members Fired After Cocaine-Fueled Parties

Numerous sailors from the British Royal Navy’s nuclear-armed submarine HMS Vigilant have been fired after testing positive for cocaine. While the submarine was docked in Kings Bay, Georgia, to pick up nuclear weapons, sailors reportedly had out-of-control parties at a local hotel.

The incident occurred in September at a time of heightened nuclear tensions, when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened at the United Nations to “totally destroy” North Korea, and Kim Jong-un called Trump a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard” who will “pay dearly” for his UN speech.

Cleve R. Wootson Jr., “Nuclear Sub Sailors Fired After ‘Absolutely Disgraceful’ Parties with a Prostitute and Cocaine,” Washington Post, October 28, 2017.

Head of Nuclear Safety Agency Urges Trump to Abolish It

Sean Sullivan, chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), told the director of the Office of Management and Budget in a private letter that closing or shrinking the panel he chairs is consistent with President Trump’s ambition to cut the size of the federal workforce. DNFSB, chartered by Congress, has helped persuade the federal government to impose tighter safety rules and regulations at most of the eight nuclear weapons sites — employing more than 40,000 workers — where nuclear weapons and their parts are produced or stored.

Patrick Malone, “GOP Chair of Nuclear Safety Agency Secretly Urges Trump to Abolish It,” Center for Public Integrity, October 19, 2017.

Congressional Budget Office Increases U.S. “Modernization” Cost Estimate

On October 31, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published a report that increases the estimated 30-year cost of “modernizing” the U.S. nuclear arsenal and production facilities to $1.24 trillion. The CBO report examines some options to eliminate some of the costs or delay them.

This estimate is $242 billion higher than the already-outrageous $1 trillion figure that has been widely cited since the Obama administration began its plans for a 30-year nuclear weapons spending binge.

“Approaches for Managing the Costs of U.S. Nuclear Forces, 2017 to 2046,” Congressional Budget Office, October 31, 2017.

Video Shows Illegal Dumping of Toxic Liquid at Hanford

Video taken in August 2017 shows contractors at the Hanford Site in Washington State illegally dumping rainwater from large metal containers containing radioactive waste. Hanford, which is the most contaminated site in the Western Hemisphere, was used primarily to produce plutonium for U.S. nuclear weapons from the mid-1940s to the mid-1980s.

The workers dumping this liquid were employed by Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS), a private contractor managing tens of millions of gallons of highly-radioactive waste at Hanford. WRPS officials have denied that they did anything wrong. However, state Representative Gerry Pollet said, “Of course it’s illegal to dump any liquid waste. This is the kind of thing that caused Hanford to be the most contaminated place in the Western Hemisphere in the first place. I am shocked to see something like this in 2017. It’s outrageous.”

Despite the United States’ inability to properly deal with the huge amount of radioactive waste it has created through decades of past nuclear weapons development, the Trump administration has indicated that it favors renewed production of nuclear weapons and components.

Susannah Frame, “Video Shows Illegal Dumping of Toxic Liquids at Hanford,” KING 5, October 27, 2017.

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 November, including the November 28, 1993 arrest of a group of Russians who attempted to sell 4.5 kilograms of highly-enriched uranium to undercover buyers.

To read Mason’s full article, click here.

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

The Doomsday Machine: New Book by NAPF Distinguished Fellow Daniel Ellsberg

The Doomsday Machine, a new book by NAPF Fellow Daniel Ellsberg, is now available for pre-order. It will be released on December 5. Ellsberg, the legendary whistleblower who revealed the Pentagon Papers, was a presidential advisor and nuclear strategist. The Doomsday Machine is Ellsberg’s hair-raising account of the most dangerous arms build-up in the history of civilization, whose legacy – and proposed renewal under the Trump administration – threatens the very survival of humanity.

To pre-order the book from Amazon, click here.

Study War No More

Join the Global Campaign for Peace Education and World Beyond War in this timely discussion on “Debunking the Myths of War” by participating in discussion 3 of the online study guide Study War No More. This discussion features an introductory video by Study and Action Partner Paul K. Chappell, the Peace Leadership Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

The goals and objectives of this discussion are to identify, reflect and analyze assumptions of war, violence and conflict.

Study War No More provides guided inquiries and suggests practical actions for students and citizens to understand the nature of “the war system” and the possibilities for its transformation to an authentic “global security system” pursued via peaceful means.

Click here to learn more and participate.

Sleepwalking to Armageddon

A new book edited by Dr. Helen Caldicott, Sleepwalking to Armageddon, is now available. For this book, Dr. Caldicott assembled some of the world’s leading nuclear scientists and thought leaders to assess the scientific and political dimensions of the threat of nuclear war today. NAPF President David Krieger wrote a chapter for the book. It also includes a chapter by NAPF Advisory Council member Noam Chomsky.

Click here to order a copy of the book.

NAPF Brings Message of Peace to Middle School

NAPF Peace Leadership Director Paul K. Chappell has partnered with the Santa Barbara Middle School for a six-month peace education effort. The partnership is part of NAPF’s newly-launched Peace Literacy Initiative, in which Chappell worked with a team of educators around the United States and Canada to develop free curriculum for grades 4-12 and college.

Whitney Ingersoll, director of admission at Santa Barbara Middle School, said, “He speaks from the heart, and his message speaks to archetypal mindsets of what it means to be human. He clearly explained how we can better understand ourselves and others, in order to communicate and live more peacefully, inside and out.”

Over the next few months, Paul will conduct workshops with students, teachers, and parents at the school. The school’s intent is to foster a more peaceful and compassionate way to be in the world within oneself, at home, and as a school community.

To read more about this initiative, click here.

Evening for Peace: A Prescription for a Nuclear-Free World

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 34th Annual Evening for Peace took place on October 22, in Santa Barbara, California. The theme of this year’s event was “A Prescription for a Nuclear-Free World.” The Foundation honored Dr. Ira Helfand and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War with its Distinguished Peace Leadership Award.

Audio and video of Dr. Helfand’s chilling and inspiring acceptance speech are available here to download from our Evening for Peace page. A written transcript and photos will be available soon.

Rick Wayman to Participate in Vatican Nuclear Disarmament Conference

Rick Wayman, NAPF’s Director of Programs, will participate in a nuclear disarmament conference at the Vatican on November 10-11. The conference, entitled “Perspectives for a World Free from Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament,” will feature an audience with Pope Francis, as well as talks by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and many Nobel Peace Laureates.

Information on conference outcomes will be published in the December issue of The Sunflower.

New Peace Poetry Book Now Available

Portraits: Peacemakers, Warmongers and People Between is a new book of original peace poetry by NAPF President David Krieger. Commenting on the new book, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, “Poetry that awakens our deepest humanity. Each poem leaves me wanting another.”

To order a copy of this new book, click here.

Cards for Humanity

S.200, a bill currently before the senate, calls for restrictions on the President’s ability to use nuclear weapons first.

Buy a $1 postcard as part of our Cards for Humanity campaign and we will send it to the Senator of your choice. We’ll sign your name on the postcard, stamp it, and mail it to your Senator’s office in DC.

Click here to view the postcard and choose your Senators.

Sign the People’s Peace Treaty with North Korea

Alarmed by the threat of a nuclear war between the U.S. and North Korea, concerned U.S. peace groups, including the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, have come together to send an open message to Washington and Pyongyang that we are strongly opposed to any resumption of the horrific Korean War. What we want is a peace treaty to finally end the lingering Korean War!

Inspired by the Vietnam-era People’s Peace Treaty, we have initiated a People’s Peace Treaty with North Korea, to raise awareness about the past U.S. policy toward North Korea, and to send a clear message that we, the people of the U.S., do not want another war with North Korea. This is not an actual treaty, but rather a declaration of peace from the people of the United States.

To read the full text and add your name, click here.

“Nuclear disarmament is not an option for governments to take up or ignore. It is a moral duty owed by them to their own citizens, and to humanity as a whole. We must not await another Hiroshima or Nagasaki before finally mustering the political will to banish these weapons from global arsenals.”

— Archbishop Desmond Tutu. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action. The revised 4th edition of this book has just been published. Order copies today in the NAPF Peace Store at a 25% discount.

“I refuse to have an enemy.”

— Sister Ardeth Platte, a Dominican nun who, together with Sr. Carol Gilbert, returned to a Minuteman III ICBM silo, 15 years after their arrest there, to deliver a copy of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

“So maybe we make a drastic change. We go back to [nuclear] testing.”

— Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, suggesting that the United States resume full-scale nuclear weapons testing.

“Some issues are not about left and right, Republican and Democrat – they’re about our deepest moral values. And we believe that you have to have a campaign, a movement, that seeks to reshape the moral narrative.”

— Rev. Dr. William Barber, a leader of the new Poor People’s Campaign, a non-violent movement to end systemic racism, poverty, militarism, environmental destruction and related injustices, and to build a just, sustainable and participatory society.

David Krieger
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman