Issue Position: Nuclear Proliferation

Issue Position

"So today, I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons."- President Barack Obama, April 5th, 2009.

I believe that the threat of a terrorist attack with a nuclear weapon is one of the gravest dangers facing Americans today. For this reason, I fully support the President's plan to progress toward a nuclear-free world while maintaining the safety, security, and effectiveness of America's nuclear arsenal as long as it exists.

Specifically, I support taking the following five steps toward global nuclear disarmament:

First, the President has pledged to secure all "loose nuclear materials" within four years. While working to secure existing stockpiles of nuclear material as a high priority task, the administration is also committed to negotiating a global ban on the production of new nuclear weapons material. Both of these strategies are aimed at denying terrorists the opportunity to steal or buy loose nuclear materials, and both are strategies I support.

Second, a global ban on all nuclear testing will also make it much more difficult for nations to acquire or perfect nuclear weapons. That is why President Obama also seeks U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, a step that I additionally support and will advocate for among my colleagues.

Third, the President has pledged to crack down on nuclear proliferation by strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty so that if countries like North Korea and Iran break the rules, they will face strong international sanctions. Given the past behavior of these regimes, I think this pressure is both warranted and timely.

Fourth, the Obama Administration has vowed to work with Russia to take U.S. and Russian ballistic missiles off hair-trigger alert in order to greatly reduce the risk of accidental or unintended launch. I agree that such diplomacy would be in the interest of American national security.

Finally, I support ongoing treaty negotiations between the U.S. and Russia that seek dramatic reductions in U.S. and Russian stockpiles of thousands of nuclear weapons. These reductions will further reduce the risk of unauthorized use or the weapons falling into terrorist hands.

With robust diplomacy and strength of purpose in the areas outlined above, the promise of a nuclear-free world may yet be realized. I pledge to do my part to achieve it.

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