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Obama's Turn on Nuclear Weapons
When U.S. President Barack Obama took to the podium during a rare visit to the Pentagon early last month, he announced a new strategy for the country's military posture abroad. The United States would shift from being able to fight two major wars simultaneously to increasing its focus on Asia. But the president also explained that reductions in the U.S. nuclear arsenal would be key to future defense: "We will continue to get rid of outdated Cold War-era systems," he said, "so that we can invest in the capabilities we need for the future." Read more »
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Posted by Joe Cirincione on February 2, 2012
Department of Defense, Joe Cirincione, new start, Nuclear Budget, Nuclear Policy Guidance, Obama
Assessing Our National Security
Sometimes, it’s important to look at the big picture to get some perspective. In 2008, there was no New START treaty with Russia, Osama bin Laden remained at large plotting terrorist attacks with Al Qaeda, and Libyans were still under the dictatorial rule of Muammar Gaddaffi. Read more »
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Posted by Megan Murphy on January 31, 2012
Nuclear disarmament, Al-Qaeda, Center for American Progress, new start, Osama bin Laden, Prague speech, Iran, Terrorism
Day #6: 100% of Your Money Goes to our Programs
From the very first moment that Ploughshares Fund was founded, we understood that people don’t want to fund paperclips, they want to fund peace. That’s why every dollar you donate goes directly to our grantmaking program, with nothing subtracted for administrative or overhead costs. That means your contribution funds a carefully selected set of grants to the smartest people with the best ideas for effective nuclear weapons policy, all with the shared goal of eliminating nuclear weapons. Read more »
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Posted by Megan Murphy on December 16, 2011
new start, peace, Russia, Defense Budget, Pakistan
Day #4: Impact Philanthropy
At Ploughshares Fund, we believe that groups working together toward common goals can accomplish more than any one organization can accomplish by itself. This cooperative approach is at the heart of our new grantmaking philosophy, which we call impact philanthropy. Read more »
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Posted by admin on December 13, 2011
12 Days of Ploughshares, impact philanthropy, new start, Partners
Vulnerable at 2,672 Nuclear Warheads?
In a recent article, Jeffrey Lewis of Arms Control Wonk outlined what could happen to U.S. nuclear forces under a sequestration budget. He illustrates that even with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s so-called “doomsday” cuts to nuclear weapons related activities, the U.S. could still field enough warheads to greatly surpass the limits put in place by New START. What could that “doomsday” look like if the U.S. maximized its nuclear forces? (View at full size) Read more »
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Posted by Peter Fedewa on December 5, 2011
China, Hans Kristensen, infographic, Jeffrey Lewis, Leon Panetta, Mary Kraszynski, new start, Nuclear Budget, Nuclear warfare, Nuclear Weapons, Peter Fedewa, Secretary of Defense, USD, United States
A Tale of Two Victories: New START and DADT
The passage of major legislation during a lame duck session of Congress is a rare and interesting phenomenon. In the past year, it’s happened twice. In both instances, philanthropy played a vital role in pushing through victories on controversial, long-stalled policy issues. Read more »
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Posted by Samara Dun on October 20, 2011
arms control, Don't ask, don't tell, new start, U.S. military, Ploughshares Fund
When Everybody Said It Couldn't Be Done...
The 111th Congress was one of the most productive in decades. But the lame-duck session was truly remarkable. Just a few days before the end of the session, 72 Senators voted to provide the advice and consent necessary to ratify the New START treaty, reducing the nuclear arsenals of both the US and Russia by a third, and putting arms inspectors back on the ground to verify those reductions. Read more »
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Posted by admin on August 24, 2011
new start, Russia, US–Russia, Ploughshares Fund, United States