Digests and Blog

Utah Republican candidate for the Senate Mike Lee has reversed his earlier common-sense position against renewed nuclear testing, and is now indicating that if elected, he would not support the CTBT. In May, Lee announced that he would most likely vote for CTBT ratification. At the time, Lee remarked that, "I don't think we need [nuclear testing] and I think, on the whole, we as Americans would be safer if the treaty were in place." The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Lee's deputy campaign manager Dan Hauser said last Thursday, "[The treaty is] basically [stating] you could never use a…

Last Friday, to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon became the first sitting Secretary General to attend the memorial service for the bombing, where he called for the entry into force of the CTBT by 2012. "Now is the time...The time for rapid entry into force of the (CTBT). Let us set the goal of 2012," he said. Members of the United States, French and British governments also attended the ceremony for the first time. Ban Ki-Moon also announced at the service that he will convene an annual high-level meeting in September to…

HMS Vanguard, one of four Royal Navy SSBN vessels By ACA intern Daniel Salisbury The U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has been ruffling feathers in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in recent weeks. He has ruled that Trident, the U.K. nuclear deterrent, will now be paid for by the MoD and not a special Treasury fund. This is putting the already strained MoD budget under even more pressure. The Financial Times reports that he made the following comment when questioned during his recent India trip: "All budgets have pressure. I don't think there's anything particularly unique about…

By Eric Auner In August 1945, nuclear weapons were used in war for the first and last time. The Wall Street Journal reports that for the first time the U.S. is sending a representative to Japan's annual ceremony commemorating the bombing of Hiroshima. John Roos, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, will join representatives of 73 other countries, including Britain and France, for Friday's event marking the 65th anniversary of the Aug. 6, 1945, bombing. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will also attend. The annual Hiroshima peace memorial ceremony—where doves were released as a symbol for…

By ACA Intern Matthew Sugrue Mitt Romney recently published a follow-up to his Washington Post critique in the National Review. Unfortunately, as in his first piece for the Washington Post Mr. Romney incorrectly represents some of New START's provisions. There are three points in particular that are should be addressed. 1. Romney claims that Russia has "succeeded in restricting not only our strategic nuclear capability and missile-defense program but also [the America's] strategic conventional capability." The basic point of any arms control treaty is to impose restrictions. New START is no…

By ACA Intern Valerie Pacer The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (also known as the Mine Ban Treaty and the Ottawa Convention), enjoys widespread international support. One hundred and fifty-six countries are currently state parties to the Treaty. The United States, however, is still "undecided" on whether or not it will join. Reuters reports: Releasing the State Department's annual review on the destruction of conventional weapons, a senior official acknowledged that a review of U.S. landmines…

By Meri Lugo The latest from ACA's Project for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. I. ACA Issue Brief on Modernization Last week, ACA Executive Director Daryl Kimball published an Issue Brief responding to lingering questions and doubts regarding the United States' ability to maintain its nuclear stockpile into the indefinite future. Daryl refutes the standard treaty-skeptic talking points, positing that the "existing strategy for warhead life extensions can continue to maintain the effectiveness of the arsenal indefinitely; a long-term, robust nuclear weapons 'modernization' plan is in place…

Published in June, former CTBT deputy chief negotiator for Russia, Victor Slipchenko has written an especially useful VERTIC Occasional Paper on the challenges facing U.S. ratification of the test ban, and considers what the United States' main counterpoint, Russia, could do to help its prospects. If you haven't done so already, it's certainly worth the read. "The Obama administration will need as much help as it can get from other CTBT supporters - Russia in particular - if entry into force is ever to become reality," he writes. Slipchenko identifies two criticisms of the treaty that are…

The European Union Council has provided a contribution of €5,280,000 as part of their EU Strategy against Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, the CTBTO announced last week. The contribution marks the largest ever voluntary contribution by the EU to the CTBTO, and is more than €5 million beyond the EU Member States' assessed annual contribution. A CTBTO press release states that the EU contribution will directly fund work related to the CTBTO auxiliary seismic station, strengthening on site inspections and the monitoring of noble gases and providing technical assistant to African,…

This week, ACA Executive Director Daryl Kimball published an Issue Brief responding to lingering questions and doubts regarding the United States' ability to maintain its nuclear stockpile into the indefinite future. While these issues are an important part of the current ratification debate of New START, they have lasting repercussions on any future conversation on nuclear arms control, namely consideration of the CTBT. As such, these misconceptions should be dispensed with promptly. Daryl refutes the standard treaty-skeptic talking points, positing that the "existing strategy for warhead…