Prestigious Award Won by Authors of New Arms Control Association Report on
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
For Immediate Release: May 2, 2005
Press Contact: Daryl G. Kimball, (202) 463-8270 x107
(Washington, D.C.): Stanford physicist Sidney D. Drell today was announced
as the latest recipient of the Heinz Award for Public Policy for his
decades-long effort to reduce nuclear dangers. With former Heinz Award
honoree Ambassador James E. Goodby, Drell recently wrote a report urging the
Bush administration to accelerate and expand its currently planned nuclear
reductions to help lessen the reliance on nuclear weapons worldwide. The
report, "What Are Nuclear Weapons For? Recommendations For Restructuring
U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces," was published last week by the
Washington-based Arms Control Association (ACA).
The annual $250,000 Heinz Award for Public Policy is bestowed upon
individuals who make a positive impact on the process of public policy.
Teresa Heinz, who is chairman of the Heinz Family Foundation, said in a
press release today, "[Drell's] scientific insights laid the foundation for
an impassioned advocacy, championing a doctrine that reduced the threat of
nuclear war while ensuring U.S. security."
"Now more than ever, we must ensure that our policies toward nuclear
disarmament and nonproliferation are sound, scientifically based, and
reflect the principles of our nation," Drell said in response to the award.
These notions are embodied in the ACA report released last week. Drell and
Goodby write that the Bush administration needs to be more ambitious in
moving the United States beyond its lingering Cold War-era nuclear weapons
policies and make clear that nuclear weapons are truly weapons of last
resort.
The authors argue that current U.S. and Russian plans to cut their
operationally deployed strategic nuclear forces to less than 2,200 warheads
apiece by 2012 fall well short of realizing the goal that Presidents George
W. Bush and Vladimir Putin set in 2002 of reducing their strategic nuclear
forces to the "lowest levels" possible. Drell and Goodby recommend that the
United States could safely rely upon a much smaller force posture of 1,000
total warheads, of which only 500 would be readied for rapid use.
Underlying their proposal is the authors' findings that missions for nuclear
weapons have diminished since the Soviet Union's collapse. Consequently,
they argue Washington should make its nuclear stockpile smaller and more
reliable without developing new nuclear weapons or increasing their role in
U.S. security policy.
"The Heinz Award is a well-deserved recognition of Sid Drell's dedication to
making the United States and the world safer," ACA Executive Director Daryl
G. Kimball said today. He added, "The Bush administration would be wise to
follow the advice of Drell and Goodby in their report."
The full report is available online at <http://www.armscontrol.org/pdf/USNW_2005_Drell-Goodby.pdf>. For more
information on U.S. nuclear weapons policies and the nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty visit <http://www.npt2005.org/>.
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The Arms Control Association is an independent, nonprofit membership
organization dedicated to promoting public understanding of and support for
effective arms control policies.
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