ACCESSION NUMBER:361791 FILE ID:POL508 DATE:09/23/94 TITLE:U.S. ADOPTING NEW NUCLEAR WEAPONS POLICY (09/23/94) TEXT:*94092308.POL U.S. ADOPTING NEW NUCLEAR WEAPONS POLICY (Perry, Shalikashvili, Deutch outline planned changes) (810) By Bruce Carey USIA Staff Writer Washington -- Defense Secretary Perry says the United States is ready to formally reject the military doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) that dominated the Cold War and adopt a policy of Mutual Assured Safety (MAS) in relations with Russia. Perry said September 22 that a recently completed 10-month comprehensive review of the U.S. nuclear posture now codifies two critical changes that have existed since the end of the Cold War with respect to U.S.-Russian relations: America must provide "the leadership for furthering and continuing reductions in nuclear weapons" within limits that provide a "hedge against the reversal of reform in Russia;" and it must work with Russia to provide maximum security for remaining nuclear weapons. Perry; General John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Deputy Defense Secretary John Deutch discussed the Pentagon study at a news briefing. Shalikashvili said the study maintains U.S. military commitments to allies and will protect American interests abroad. Accordingly, Tomahawk nuclear cruise missiles will remain deployed on submarines, and B-52 and B-2 Stealth bombers will retain both their conventional and nuclear delivery capabilities. Naval vessels and carrier-borne aircraft, which have not been armed with tactical nuclear weapons for several years, will not retain the technical capability to be so armed, he said. Deutch, who sketched details of the policy for reporters, noted that Russia's weak economy renders it unlikely that it could rebuild the large conventional military force of the former Soviet Union, even if irresponsible forces take over in Moscow. But on the other hand, he said, it would be less expensive and time-consuming for Russia to reverse its current nuclear weapons policy and begin to rebuild warheads. This means that the United States cannot safely reduce its nuclear arsenal 1oo quickly, he said. Deutch described the planned reduction in both strategic and tactical nuclear weapons systems from now until the year 2003, when U.S. and Russian commitments under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) must be met and commitments under START II begin. Among strategic forces, the number of ballistic missile submarines will be reduced from 18 to 14 and the remaining 14 subs will be refitted with the latest generation of Trident missiles. The subs will have one base on each of the two U.S. coasts. The 20 B-2 bombers scheduled to join the Air Force will be sufficient for the dual nuclear and conventional roles they will fulfill. The Air Force also will keep 66 B-52 bombers, all of which will be able to deliver nuclear as well as conventional weapons. B-1 bombers no longer will have nuclear delivery capability, he said. Deutch added that the conventional role will be the chief one for B-2s and B-52s; the nuclear role will be for deterrent purposes only. The 500 Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) will be retained in three wings of silos across the western part of the United States, said Deutch. When the drawdown period is completed in the year 2003, about 3,500 U.S. strategic nuclear arms will remain, he said. Among tactical forces, most of the work already has been completed. Nuclear arms are no longer carried on naval surface vessels and their aircraft. Eventually, the capability to carry such weapons will be eliminated from the ships as well. And tactical nuclear field weapons already have been taken from the Army and the Marine Corps, which no longer have any nuclear role in U.S. defense, Deutch said. He noted that the two START agreements do not pertain to tactical nuclear weapons, and he expressed the U.S. hope that Russia will work more diligently to draw down its large stock of such weaponry, which he estimated to be between 6,000 and 13,000. Reducing those stocks, he said, is important in achieving the second major goal of the new U.S. nuclear posture -- enhanced security for all nuclear weapons arsenals. To that end, the United States intends to spend more money on command and control of nuclear forces in the next few years. That factor and the drawdown of tactical nuclear weapons are important in the effort to help Russia secure its own weapons, Deutch said. "We are very conscious of the fact that the way we conduct ourselves with our nuclear weapons will influence the way the Russians comport themselves with respect to their nuclear weapons," he declared. "We have a whole series of operational...changes in the way we manage our forces that we hope -- working with the Russians -- will bring them to have a smaller, more secure and stabler nuclear posture themselves," he said. NNNN .
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
