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.
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