Gates: Long-term outlook bleak for nuke safety

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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates addresses the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on the topic of the U.S. Nuclear Policy on Oct. 28.


Gates: Long-term outlook bleak for nuke safety
By John T. Bennett - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Oct 29, 2008 5:59:30 EDT

Potential threats make it necessary for the United States to maintain a nuclear arsenal for many years to come, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday, and called for steps to ensure the nation has the ability to build such complex weapons.

Gates, in a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, embraced former President Bill Clinton’s “lead and hedge” nuclear approach. Under this approach, Gates said, the United States should take the lead in seeking to eliminate such weapons while also hedging its bets by maintaining a deterrent nuclear arsenal.

He pointed to the nuclear programs and ambitions of nations like North Korea, Iran, Russia and China as reasons Washington must take steps to ensure the nation’s existing nuclear force is ready for launch, and also make sure industry and government have the technical expertise to build new versions.

Gates quickly added the Pentagon does not consider Russia or China to be U.S. foes. But, he said, “we cannot ignore these developments.”

He called the existence of nuclear weapons a “genie that cannot be put back into the bottle.”


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/defense_nuclear_safety_102808/%2e