Chuck Hagel supports Obama's call for nuke reduction

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Robynn Tysver

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel came to his boss' support Wednesday, getting behind President Barack Obama's call to reduce the nation's nuclear stockpile.

Hagel said a reduction in the nation's nuclear force would not jeopardize America's security, and the nation will retain enough nukes to maintain a “credible deterrent” in the face of possible enemies.

“A safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent remains essential to our national security, and we will maintain that capability,” Hagel said.

Hagel spoke at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, on Wednesday. It was his first Nebraska visit since he was confirmed as Obama's Pentagon chief.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20130619/NEWS/130619588/1685#chuck-hagel-supports-obama-s-call-for-nuke-reduction

[still_one]

1. I guess hagel isn't a is citizen also. Commies

NOTE. "Scarcasm"

[David__77]

2. Russia would be foolish to do likewise.

Unless Obama again respects the ABM treaty.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

3. The NPT Treaty,

entering into force in 1970, is often seen as being based on a central bargain:

“the NPT non-nuclear-weapon states agree never to acquire nuclear weapons and the NPT nuclear-weapon states in exchange agree to share the benefits of peaceful nuclear technology and to pursue nuclear disarmament aimed at the ultimate elimination of their nuclear arsenals”.

43 years later, most Americans forget that this Treaty did not enshrine nuclear "Haves" and "Have Nots" for all time - we are supposed to be working towards total disarmament.

Article VI

Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.
http://www.un.org/disarmament/WMD/Nuclear/NPTtext.shtml

[cstanleytech]

4. I suspect a total disarment will likely not happen ever. You just cannot put the genie especially

this genie back into its bottle because there will always be the fear that someone might build such a weapon and or weapons in secret in order to force a country into surrendering with the threat of "Give up or we nuke your population centers".

[Lugal Zaggesi]

5. Well,

Texas and California hate each other,
sort of,
but I don't think either one is really afraid of the other one nuking them.

The history of the world shows bigger and bigger political units - from hunter-gatherer tribes of a few dozen people 100,000 years ago, to small city states of 50,000 people in Mesopotamia 5,000 years ago, to billion-plus-people countries like India and China today.

At some point, the political unit will encompass the entire planet - just 5.25 times the population of China right now -
and then nuclear war will be as unlikely as Shanghai nuking Beijing.
    in order to force a country into surrendering - yup, that concept will be obsolete eventually.

Of course, there might still be "organized-crime-like" organizations - distant descendants of the Russian Mob or the Yakuza or Germany, for instance - so "total disarmament" will be unlikely, as you say - but we can probably do away with the standing arsenals of thousands of H-bombs.

I'm optimistic Humanity will become much more mature over the next few centuries,
that trends like the global Internet will integrate and educate the planet similarly to the printing press integrating and educating countries starting about five centuries ago -

if we don't destroy Civilization by then.

Located in Granada, Nicaragua, 'La Esperanza Granada' is a volunteer group focusing on children’s education.

[cstanleytech]

6. I am far from optimistic. Why? History.

History is full of civilization rising only to fall again and again, time after time.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

7. .