Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Category: Press Releases

  • Defying Diplomatic Efforts for Nuclear Disarmament, U.S. Schedules Nuclear Missile Test

    Santa Barbara – The United States Air Force has scheduled a launch of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile for the early morning hours of October 21. This will be the fifth test of a Minuteman III ICBM in 2015. The target of the missile is the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, over 4,000 miles away.

    There is currently a lawsuit pending at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco related to U.S. breaches of international law, which require good faith negotiations for an end to the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament. The lawsuit was filed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands in April 2014. A reply brief by the United States is due in the lawsuit on October 28, just one week after this nuclear missile is launched.

    Rick Wayman, Director of Programs at the Santa Barbara-based Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, criticized the U.S. for its continued reliance on nuclear weapons. He said, “While the U.S. government seeks to wiggle out of the Nuclear Zero Lawsuit in a reply brief due next week, we can all read the government’s true response in this Minuteman III launch.”

    This week at the United Nations, the UN General Assembly’s First Committee is meeting to discuss nuclear disarmament. While diplomats are gathered in New York for these important events, the United States is practicing using its land-based nuclear missiles. Each Minuteman III missile carries a nuclear warhead capable of killing hundreds of thousands of people instantly.

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, said, “This is the fifth ICBM launch this year. Each launch sends the same message: that the U.S. can hit targets on the other side of the world with its nuclear weapons. No one doubts that. What is doubted in the world community is that the U.S. is serious about fulfilling its obligations to negotiate in good faith for nuclear disarmament.”

    Founded in 1982, The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. The Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. It is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations. For more information, visit www.wagingpeace.org.

    For more information and interviews, please contact Rick Wayman at (805) 696-5159.

  • Foreign Minister Tony de Brum and the People of the Marshall Islands receive Right Livelihood Award

    For Immediate Release
    Contact:
    Rick Wayman
    (8    05) 696-5159
    rwayman@napf.org

    Foreign Minister Tony de Brum and the People of the Marshall Islands receive Right Livelihood Award

    Tony de Brum

    Santa Barbara – Marshall Islands Foreign Minister, Tony de Brum, and the people of the Marshall Islands, have been honored with the 2015 Right Livelihood award “in recognition of their vision and courage to take legal action against the nuclear powers for failing to honor their disarmament obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

    The award, from Swedish charity, the Right Livelihood Award Foundation, was established in 1980 to honor and support those “offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today.” Widely known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” the Right Livelihood Award has no categories, but rather, recognizes that in striving to meet the human challenges of today’s world, the most inspiring and remarkable work often defies classification.

    Minister de Brum has spent his entire life working for peace, justice and a world free of nuclear weapons on behalf of the Marshall Islands. He is also a powerful advocate on the issue of climate change. Said Minister de Brum, “Clearly, one cannot isolate climate change from the other most pressing issue of world security today. As a country that has seen the ravages of war, suffers the lingering effects of nuclear tests, and faces the onset of a rising sea, we see all these to be threats of equal force against world peace and human life.”

    In a courageous move last year, the Marshall Islands, led by Minister de Brum, filed lawsuits against all nine nuclear-armed nations in the International Court of Justice and separately against the United States in U.S. Federal District Court. The lawsuits call upon these nations to fulfill their legal obligations, under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and customary international law, to begin and conclude negotiations for complete nuclear disarmament.

    Upon hearing of the award, Laurie Ashton, lead attorney for the Marshall Islands in the U.S. case, said “Minister de Brum has been tireless and fearless in his focused pursuit, on behalf of the Marshall Islands, of binding, legal solutions to the abject failure of the nations possessing nuclear weapons to negotiate nuclear disarmament in good faith. It is a privilege to represent the Marshall Islands and work with Minister de Brum on this tremendous effort and I congratulate him, and the people of the Marshall Islands, on this well-deserved award.”

    In 2012, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation awarded Minister de Brum its Distinguished Peace Leadership Award. More recently, and the Foundation has served as a consultant to the Marshall Islands and de Brum on their Nuclear Zero lawsuits. David Krieger, President of the Foundation commented, “Tony de Brum is one of the truly outstanding political leaders of our time. He is relentless in his pursuit of peace and justice. He and the people of the Marshall Islands have played an oversized role in the fight to end the nuclear weapons era – by going to court to hold the nuclear-armed countries to their nuclear disarmament obligations under international law.  They have also played a major role in the fight to halt climate change. Minister de Brum and the people of the Marshall Islands are most worthy of the Right Livelihood Award and of the recognition being bestowed upon them.”

    Other recipients of the 2015 Right Livelihood Award are Sheila Watt-Cloutier (Canada), Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera (Uganda) and Gino Strada / EMERGENCY (Italy). For a full description of all of the 2015 Right Livelihood Award Laureates, visit www.rightlivelihood.org.

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    You can download a photo of Foreign Minister Tony de Brum for use with this story at this link: http://bit.ly/tdebrum. To set up interviews, please contact Rick Wayman, NAPF Director of Programs, at rwayman@napf.org or (805) 696-5159.

    Founded in 1982, The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. The Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. It is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations. For more information, visit www.wagingpeace.org.

  • Golden Rule Peace Boat Arrives in Santa Barbara

    For Immediate Release

    Contact: Gerry Condon:  206.499.1220
                  Sandy Jones:      805.965.3443

    Golden Rule Peace Boat Arrives in Santa Barbara
    Sailing for a Nuclear-Free World

    SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The historic Golden Rule peace boat, restored by Veterans For Peace, will dock in Santa Barbara late Wednesday afternoon on September 2, during her voyage from San Diego en route to her homeport, Eureka, on California’s northern coast. There will be a press conference covering the arrival on Thursday, September 3 at 2:00 p.m. on the steps of the Maritime Museum at the boat harbor (113 Harbor Way).

    In 1958, the 30-foot ketch and its Quaker crew helped to ignite an international movement to stop atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons when they attempted to sail into a nuclear test zone in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The Golden Rule is now sailing again to promote a nuclear-free world. Over the next ten years, she will carry her message of peace around the United States and possibly throughout the world.

    The Marshall Islands suffered catastrophic and irreparable damages when the U.S. conducted 67 nuclear tests on their territory between 1946 and 1958. These tests had the equivalent power of exploding 1.6 Hiroshima bombs daily for 12 years. The devastating impact of these nuclear detonations to the health and well-being of the Marshall Islanders and their land continues to this day. Last year, the RMI initiated the Nuclear Zero Lawsuits, seeking to hold the nuclear-armed nations to their obligations under international law to negotiate in good faith for nuclear disarmament.

    “Nuclear weapons are still with us and the threat of nuclear war is very real,” said the Golden Rule’s Captain Ron Kohl of San Diego. “We are dismayed that the U.S. government plans to invest $1 trillion over the next 30 years upgrading its nuclear arsenal, instead of reducing and eliminating nuclear weapons, as called for in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and consultant to the Marshall Islands in their lawsuits, said, “The Golden Rule and her first crews have historical significance in courageously sailing into nuclear test sites in the Pacific. Today, the Golden Rule sails for a nuclear-free world under the leadership of Veterans for Peace and deserves the support of people everywhere.”

    The Golden Rule will be welcomed by the Santa Barbara Chapter of Veterans For Peace and members of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. The ship will arrive in Santa Barbara in the late afternoon on Wednesday, September 2 and stay several days. She will be available for public viewing and possible sails, as well. There will be a press conference covering the arrival on Thursday, September 3 at 2:00 p.m. on the steps of the Maritime Museum at the boat harbor (113 Harbor Way).

    “We appreciate that many Santa Barbara friends and supporters are offering assistance,” said Captain Ron Kohl.  “There is a real magic to this boat that brings all kinds of people together.

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    For more information, or to interview the crew, please contact Gerry Conlon at 206.499.1220.

    You can follow the progress of the Golden Rule and make donations at www.vfpgoldenruleproject.org

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation was founded in 1982. Its mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. The Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations and is comprised of individuals and groups worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age.

  • Vandenberg to Launch Nuclear-Capable Missile Test

    Santa Barbara, CA – Tomorrow, August 19, 2015, the United States plans to launch a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to a target in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).

    The test comes just two weeks after the 70th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – just two weeks after the world honored the 200,000-plus victims who died as a result of those bombs.

    It also comes in the midst of the Marshall Islands’ Nuclear Zero Lawsuits. David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and a consultant to the Marshall Islands in the cases, stated, “ While the U.S. continues to develop and test launch its nuclear-capable missiles, the Marshall Islands is seeking a judgment against the U.S. and the other nuclear-armed nations for failure to fulfill their nuclear disarmament obligations under international law.”

    Regularly testing its nuclear warhead delivery vehicles – in this case, the Minuteman III ICBM – is an example of U.S. failure to comply with its obligation under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty to “pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms rate at an early date.” This planned test on August 19 continues the provocative behavior by the U.S. that led the RMI to file its lawsuits in the first place.

    The lawsuit was dismissed on February 3, 2015 by the U.S. Federal District Court for the Northern District of California. The RMI filed its Appeal Brief on July 13, 2015 and now awaits a response from the U.S. Department of Justice. For more information on the Nuclear Zero Lawsuits, visit nuclearzero.org.

    Marshall Islanders suffered catastrophic and irreparable damages to their people and homeland when the U.S. conducted 67 nuclear tests on their territory between 1946 and 1958. These tests had the equivalent power of exploding 1.6 Hiroshima bombs daily for 12 years. The devastating impact of these nuclear detonations to the health and well-being of the Marshall Islanders and to their land continues to this day.

    Krieger also stated, “How can it be fine for the U.S. to test-fire these missiles time and again, while expressing criticism when other countries conduct missile tests? It is a clear example of U.S. double standards. Such double standards encourage nuclear proliferation and nuclear arms races and make the world a more dangerous place.”

    With each missile test, the U.S. sends a clear and expensive message that it continues to be reliant on nuclear weapons. Each test costs tens of millions of dollars and contributes to the U.S. plans to spend $1 trillion modernizing its nuclear arsenal over the next thirty years.

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    If you would like to interview David Krieger, please call the Foundation at (805) 965-3443.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation — The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders.  Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations.  For more information, visit www.wagingpeace.org.

  • Nuclear Weapons Experts File Amicus Brief in Support of Marshall Islands Lawsuit

    For immediate release August 12, 2015 (to use email addresses please insert @)
    Contacts:     Jay Coghlan, NWNM, 505.470.3154, jay[at]nukewatch.org
    Hans Kristensen, FAS, 202.454.4695, hkristensen[at]fas.org
    Robert Alvarez, IPS, 301.585.7672, kitbob[at]rcn.com
    Dr. James Doyle, nonproliferation expert, 505.470.3154, jimdoyle6[at]msn.com

    Nuclear Weapons Experts File Amicus Brief to Support
    Marshall Islands Lawsuit to Require Nuclear Disarmament Negotiations
    Under U.S. NonProliferation Treaty Commitments

    Nuclear Zero LawsuitsWashington, DC and Santa Fe, NM – Four nuclear weapons experts have filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in support of a lawsuit filed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands to compel the United States to meet its requirements under the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty (NPT). The basic bargain of the NPT is that non-weapons states agreed to never acquire nuclear weapons, in exchange for which nuclear weapons states promised to enter into good faith disarmament negotiations. Ratification of the treaty by the Senate in 1970 made its provisions the law of the land under the U.S. Constitution.

    The experts filing the brief are: Hans Kristensen, Director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists; Dr. James Doyle, a nuclear nonproliferation expert fired by the Los Alamos national lab after publishing a study arguing for nuclear weapons abolition; Robert Alvarez, a former Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Energy, now at the Institute for Policy Studies; and Jay Coghlan, director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico.

    Hans Kristensen explained, “The United States, as one of the five original nuclear weapons states under the NPT, has a clear legal obligation to pursue negotiations toward nuclear disarmament. Yet despite progress on reducing overall nuclear arsenals, forty-five years later there are and have been no negotiations on their elimination. Instead, all nuclear weapon powers are pursuing broad and expensive modernization programs to retain and improve nuclear weapons indefinitely.”

    The Marshall Islands’ lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in San Francisco, asserts that the U.S. has failed to fulfill its treaty duties. The case was initially dismissed in February 2015 by a federal judge after the U.S. government argued in part that enforcement of the NPT’s requirement for nuclear disarmament negotiations was not in the public interest. This is now being appealed. As the Marshall Islands’ original complaint notes, “While cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament are vitally important objectives to the entire international community, the Marshall Islands has a particular awareness of the dire consequences of nuclear weapons.” While still a U.S. protectorate after World War II, the American nuclear weapons complex used the Marshall Islands for more than a hundred atmospheric nuclear weapons tests that included newly developed H-bombs, and the displaced Marshallese have suffered severe health and contamination effects to this day. However, the Marshall Islands’ lawsuit is not asking for compensation, but instead seeks to hold the nuclear weapons powers accountable to the NPT’s requirement for good faith nuclear disarmament negotiations.

    Andrea St. Julian, an attorney based in San Diego who specializes in federal appellate proceedings, filed the 94-page amicus brief. She observed, “The level of expertise and understanding the amici bring to this appeal is remarkable. Their arguments show how profoundly mistaken the district court was in its misapplication of the law. If the Court of Appeals takes adequate note of the briefing, it will have no alternative but to reverse the dismissal of the Marshall Islands’ suit. If not, we expect the Marshall Islands to take its case to the U.S. Supreme Court, and we will strongly support it there.”

    Dr. James Doyle commented, “It’s not possible to eliminate the knowledge to build nuclear weapons, but it’s possible to make them illegal and remove them from all military arsenals, as existing treaties on chemical and biological weapons have already substantially done. The Marshall Islands’ case is an important step on the path to the elimination of nuclear weapons and deserves a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.”

    Robert Alvarez added, “The Republic of the Marshall Islands has exposed the abuse of the good faith and trust of the non-weapons states that signed the NonProliferation Treaty on the understanding that the nuclear weapons states would begin disarmament negotiations. By seeking a binding legal requirement to actually begin negotiations, the Marshall Islands is simply trying to get the United States to honor the promises and commitments it made to the world 45 years ago.”

    Jay Coghlan noted that the recently concluded 2015 NPT Review Conference ended in failure, in large part because nuclear weapons nations are modernizing their arsenals. He observed, “The U.S. government is getting ready to spend a trillion dollars on new production facilities for nuclear weapons and new bombers, missiles and submarines to deliver them. Because of that, we are keen to help the Marshall Islands hold the U.S. and other nuclear weapons powers accountable to their end of the NPT bargain, which is to enter into disarmament negotiations.”

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    The amicus brief is available at http://nukewatch.org/importantdocs/resources/Dkt-38-Amicus-Brief.pdf

    Bios of the four amici are available in the amicus brief, beginning page 1.

    Complete 9th circuit court proceedings in the Republic of Marshall Islands’ lawsuit are available at www.nuclearzero.org/in-the-courts

  • Strong Support for Marshall Islands’ Nuclear Zero Lawsuit

    For Immediate Release

    Contact:
    Sandy Jones or Rick Wayman
    (805) 965-3443
    sjones@napf.org
    rwayman@napf.org

    STRONG SUPPORT FOR MARSHALL ISLANDS’ NUCLEAR ZERO LAWSUIT

    Groups from all sectors of society offer crucial support for Marshall Islands Appeal

    Santa Barbara, July 21 – Five amicus curiae briefs were filed yesterday in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and their Appeal of the District Court’s dismissal of the Nuclear Zero Lawsuit. These briefs represent critical support for the RMI in their efforts to appeal the Court’s dismissal.

    Judge Jeffrey White granted the U.S. government’s motion to dismiss the case on February 3, 2015 on jurisdictional grounds. The RMI strongly disagreed with the Court’s decision to dismiss and filed its Notice of Appeal on April 2, 2015 and its Appeal Brief on July 13, 2015.

    The amicus curiae briefs were submitted by the following organizations:

    • Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy
    • Global Justice Center
    • United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America; International Commission for Labor Rights; and Labor and Employment Committee of the National Lawyers Guild
    • Tri-Valley CAREs
    • International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Physicians for Social Responsibility and Pax Christi International.

    These organizations represent a powerful and diverse cross-section of society and indicate widespread support for the Marshall Islands in their quest to attain court enforcement of the obligations of the nuclear-armed nations to pursue negotiations for nuclear disarmament.

    Additionally, Mayors from 6 U.S. cities – Little Rock, Arkansas; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Rochester, Minnesota; Eugene and Beaverton, Oregon; and Urbana, Illinois – have submitted an amicus curiae letter to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. These Mayors belong to the U.S Conference of Mayors and the international organization, Mayors for Peace.

    Their letter quotes the 2014 Resolution of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which “…commend the Republic of the Marshall Islands for calling to the world’s attention the failure of the nine nuclear-armed states to comply with their international obligations to pursue negotiations for the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons, and call on the U.S. to respond constructively and in good faith to the lawsuits brought by the RMI.” Further, the letter cites their 2015 Resolution which “…calls on the President and Congress to reduce nuclear weapons spending to the minimum necessary…and to redirect those funds to address the pressing needs of cities.

    The amicus curiae briefs and letter can be read in their entirety at nuclearzero.org/in-the-courts.

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    Note to editor: to arrange interviews with David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation or Laurie Ashton, lead counsel for the RMI, please call Sandy Jones or Rick Wayman at (805) 965-3443.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation was founded in 1982. Its mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. The Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations and is comprised of individuals and groups worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age.

  • Marshall Islands Appeals U.S. Court’s Dismissal of Nuclear Zero Lawsuit

    Marshall Islands Appeals U.S. Court’s Dismissal of Nuclear Zero Lawsuit

    Small Island Nation Fights On. Archbishop Desmond Tutu Lends Support.

    July 13, 2015 – The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) submitted its Appeal Brief today to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, appealing the dismissal of the Nuclear Zero Lawsuit. The case was dismissed in Federal District Court on February 3, 2015 by Judge Jeffrey White.

    Nuclear Zero LawsuitsThe lawsuit calls upon the U.S. to fulfill its legal obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and customary international law to negotiate in good faith to end the nuclear arms race at an early date and for total nuclear disarmament.

    Upon learning of the impending Appeal, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Nobel Peace Prize laureate and well-known human rights activists, stated, “An obligation to negotiate in good faith has real legal meaning and is not merely a theoretical ideal. The United States’ breach of NPT Article VI has serious consequences for humankind and the Marshall Islands appeal is of critical importance.”

    Rather than allowing the case to be argued on its merits, the District Court dismissed the suit on the jurisdictional grounds of standing and political question doctrine. Today’s Appeal Brief directly challenges the Court’s decision, stating, “The District Court misapplied the law, misconstrued the harm alleged and the relief sought by the Marshall Islands, and inappropriately construed inferences in the Executive’s [the Executive Branch of the U.S. government] favor.”

    The Marshall Islands suffered catastrophic and irreparable damages to its people and land when the U.S. conducted 67 nuclear weapons tests on its territory between 1946 and 1958. These tests had the equivalent power of exploding 1.6 Hiroshima bombs daily for 12 years. The devastating impact of these nuclear detonations continues to this day. For more information, visit www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/03/runit-dome-pacific-radioactive-waste.

    Despite these damages, the Nuclear Zero Lawsuit does not seek compensation. Rather, the Appeal Brief states, “The Marshall Islands seeks a declaration of the meaning of the NPT Article VI obligation; a legal determination of whether the Executive’s conduct satisfies the obligation, and an order requiring future compliance with the obligation, unless the U.S. chooses to withdraw from the Treaty.”

    Laurie Ashton, lead attorney for the Marshall Islands in the U.S. case, commented, “This case asks the question whether the President of the United States is above the law – and the law here is Article VI of the NPT, a legally binding treaty. The Marshall Islands, like every NPT party, is entitled to the fulfillment of the United States’ promise to negotiate complete nuclear disarmament. But while the United States has the world focused on nonproliferation measures across the globe, it is in flagrant breach of its obligation to negotiate complete nuclear disarmament. It refuses to discuss any timetable whatsoever to achieve nuclear disarmament, and is instead actually modernizing its nuclear arsenal with new capabilities to last decades into the future at a budget of approximately $1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion dollars). The lawsuit brings these breaches to Court, forcing the U.S. to respond in public.”

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and consultant to the RMI, noted,

    “The Marshall Islands is the most courageous country on the planet. It is standing up to the nuclear-armed nations, demanding that they fulfill their legal obligations for nuclear disarmament. Its Appeal Brief in the U.S. case makes strong sense and shows that it is a country that will not give up or give in.”

    The United States has one month to respond to the Marshall Islands Appeal Brief and then the Marshall Islands will have two weeks to reply to the U.S. Response Brief. To read the Appeal Brief in its entirety, visit www.wagingpeace.org/documents/rmi-appeal.pdf.

    For more information about the Nuclear Zero Lawsuits, visit www.nuclearzero.org.

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    Note to editor: to arrange interviews with David Krieger or Laurie Ashton, please call Sandy Jones or Rick Wayman at (805) 965-3443.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation was founded in 1982. Its mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. The Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations and is comprised of individuals and groups worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age.

  • U.S. Schedules Yet Another Controversial Minuteman III Test

    For Immediate Release

    Contact:
    Sandy Jones or Rick Wayman
    (805) 965-3443 or (805) 696-5159
    sjones@napf.org
    rwayman@napf.org

    U.S. Schedules Yet Another Controversial Minuteman III Missile Test
    With the NPT Conference wrapping up, timing of this missile test sends a very wrong message

    May 19, 2015 – Santa Barbara, CA – The U.S. is set to launch a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 20, 2015.

    The test launch comes three days before the end of the 2015 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference held in New York City at the United Nations.  The purpose of this conference, held every five years and attended by the vast majority of the world’s nations as well as hundreds of NGOs from around the globe, is to assess and improve the implementation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) – the only binding commitment to nuclear disarmament in a multilateral treaty that exists. The hope is that the conference will produce concrete, actionable movement toward global nuclear disarmament.

    At this year’s conference, dozens of nations strongly called for the United States and other nuclear-armed nations to take their nuclear weapons off high-alert status and to more urgently pursue negotiations for nuclear disarmament. Rather than heeding this reasonable call, the U.S. has chosen this time to test a high-alert land-based missile.

    Rick Wayman, Director of Programs and Operations at the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF), commented, “Conducting a nuclear missile test, particularly at this time, sends a clear signal to the international community that the United States believes it can continue to possess nuclear weapons indefinitely and with impunity.”

    The Air Force Global Strike Command stated in their release that the ICBM test launch program is to validate and verify the effectiveness, readiness and accuracy of the weapon system. However, the timing of the test launch sends a clear message to the world that the U.S. continues to rely on these weapons in its military policy.

    David Krieger, President of NAPF, contends, “The officials at Vandenberg say the purpose of the test is to ‘validate and verify the effectiveness, readiness and accuracy of the weapons system.’ This means the effectiveness, readiness and accuracy of a weapons system capable of destroying civilization and the human species. Instead of launching missiles, the United States should be leading negotiations to rid the world of these weapons of mass annihilation.”

    The 2010 NPT Review Conference produced an Action Plan that was, at that time, agreed to by all States Parties. Included in this plan was a promise from the U.S. and other nuclear weapon states to “consider the legitimate interest of non-nuclear weapon States in further reducing the operational status of nuclear weapons systems in ways that promote international stability and security.”

    Krieger further commented, “Clearly, this test launch of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile must be viewed as a blatant failure on the part of the U.S. to reduce the operational status of its nuclear weapon systems. The test further undermines international stability, and U.S. nuclear policy continues to threaten the security of American citizens and people throughout the world.”

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    For further information, contact Rick Wayman at rwayman@napf.org or call (805) 696-5159.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation – NAPF’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders.  Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations.  For more information, visit www.wagingpeace.org.

  • Marshall Islands to U.S. – Keep Your NPT Promises

    Update: Marshall Islands to U.S. – Keep Your NPT Promises
    As the NPT Review Conference approaches, the Marshall Islands take the next step

    April 9, 2015 – The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) filed its Court ordered Mediation Questionnaire today in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, taking the next step in the appeal of the Nuclear Zero Lawsuit.

    The lawsuit, brought by the RMI against the U.S., claims the U.S. is in breach of its legal obligations under Article VI of the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to pursue negotiations in good faith for an end to the nuclear arms race and for nuclear disarmament. The U.S. has refused to negotiate and is instead modernizing its nuclear arsenal.

    The case was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds on February 3, 2015 by the U.S. Federal District Court for the Northern District of California, before the U.S. filed an Answer or submitted any evidence, and without any analysis of the merits of the claims.

    In the Mediation Questionnaire, the RMI cites a statement made by the U.S. Embassy in the Marshall Islands on February 5, 2015 which asserted that “the U.S. commitment to achieving the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons is unassailable.” Taking the Embassy’s statement at face value, the RMI goes on to say, “If the U.S. were willing to demonstrate that commitment by calling for and convening negotiations for cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament under the NPT (which is the very relief sought by the Marshall Islands), then this case could have strong potential for a successful mediation.”

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and consultant to the RMI in their case, commented, “The RMI has set forth a means by which mediation could be successful. If the U.S. were acting responsibly, they’d simply do what they promised to do 45 years ago when the NPT entered into force – fulfill their obligation to negotiate in good faith for an end to the nuclear arms race and for nuclear disarmament. It’s ironic that while the U.S. is focusing world attention on the progress being made on nonproliferation with Iran, there has been zero progress on initiating negotiations for cessation of the nuclear arms race or nuclear disarmament.”

    With the filing of this Mediation Questionnaire coming just two weeks prior to the 2015 NPT Review Conference to be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, there will likely be heightened attention paid by those attending the conference to the status of the Marshall Islands lawsuits. This year’s Review Conference will mark the 20-year anniversary of the NPT’s indefinite extension agreed to in 1995.

    Click here to read the Mediation Questionnaire in its entirety. For more information about the Nuclear Zero Lawsuits, visit nuclearzero.org.

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    Note to editor: to arrange interviews with David Krieger (President of NAPF) or Laurie Ashton (head of RMI legal team for U.S. case), please call Sandy Jones or Rick Wayman at (805) 965-3443 or (805) 696-5159.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation was founded in 1982. Its mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. The Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations and is comprised of individuals and groups worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age.

  • The Marshall Islands Will Not Back Down

    Contact:
    Sandy Jones or Rick Wayman
    (805) 965-3443 / (805) 696-5159
    sjones@napf.org / rwayman@napf.org

    The Marshall Islands Will Not Back Down
    The Marshall Islands appeals dismissal of lawsuit against United States

    April 2, 2015 – The lawsuit brought by the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) against the United States is not going away anytime soon. While the case was dismissed on February 3, 2015 by the U.S. Federal District Court for the Northern District of California, this small island nation today took the important step of formally filing its Notice of Appeal.

    The lawsuit, referred to as the Nuclear Zero lawsuit, claims the U.S. is in breach of its legal obligations under Article VI of the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to pursue negotiations in good faith for an end to the nuclear arms race and for nuclear disarmament.  This is especially important as there is a growing awareness in the world that the continued possession and modernization of nuclear arsenals constitutes a clear and continuing threat to our planet. This threat is now magnified by the deteriorating relationships between Russia and the U.S., which between them control over 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.

    Earlier this year, U.S. Federal District Court dismissed the case on the jurisdictional grounds of standing and political question doctrine without getting to the merits of the case. Laurie Ashton, lead attorney for the RMI in the U.S. case, expressed strong disagreement with the court’s ruling, saying, “We believe the District Court erred in dismissing the case. The Marshall Islands, like every party to the NPT, is entitled to the United States’ fulfillment of its NPT promise – negotiations for nuclear disarmament. Further, the U.S. President does not enjoy exclusive purview to determine the U.S. breach of its treaty obligations. Instead, the judiciary has an obligation to rule in this treaty dispute.”

    Marshall Islanders suffered catastrophic and irreparable damages to their people and homeland when the U.S. conducted 67 nuclear tests on their territory between 1946 and 1958. These tests had the equivalent power of exploding 1.6 Hiroshima bombs daily for 12 years. The devastating impact of these nuclear detonations to health and well-being of the Marshall Islanders and to their land continues to this day.

    David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and consultant to the RMI in the case, made the following statement. “Knowing how high the stakes are, the Marshall Islands will not give up. They are a resilient and heroic people who have taken bold action against the nuclear giants of the world. They will continue to struggle on behalf of all humanity until the nuclear-armed nations have fulfilled their obligations to abolish every last one of their nuclear weapons.”

    RMI Foreign Minister Tony de Brum said of the appeal, “We are in this for the long haul. We remain steadfast in our belief that nuclear weapons benefit no one and that what is right for humankind will prevail. We place great importance in and hold high respect for the American judicial process and will pursue justice in that spirit, using every available legal avenue to see that Nuclear Zero is achieved in my lifetime.”

    For more information about the Nuclear Zero lawsuits, visit nuclearzero.org. To read the Notice of Appeal, click here.

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    Note to editor: to arrange interviews with David Krieger (President of NAPF) or Laurie Ashton (head of RMI legal team for U.S. case), please call Sandy Jones or Rick Wayman at (805) 965-3443 or (805) 696-5159.

    The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation was founded in 1982. Its mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. The Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations and is comprised of individuals and groups worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age.