Statement from ASP CEO BGen Stephen A. Cheney USMC (Ret.):
The American Security Project supports the President’s call for reductions that move away from cold war nuclear strategy. Reshaping our nuclear arsenal to better fit today’s military requirements is good for U.S. national security, which is why the Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff support a one third cut in the arsenal.
Military leaders have been at the forefront of a growing consensus to update our nuclear strategy for the 21st century. General James Cartwright, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently commented, “The world has changed, but the current arsenal carries the baggage of the cold war.” Lt. General Dirk Jameson, former commander of U.S. Strategic command, also highlighted the mismatch between nuclear capabilities and current security requirements. “Having more weapons doesn’t mean we are ‘winning’ – or will even succeed in deterring others from pursuing nuclear weapons. It merely reflects that our nuclear strategy is ill-suited to our times,” he recently wrote.
We hope negotiations with Russia begin soon and are concluded quickly and successfully.
