United States

The United States invented nuclear weapons, operates the second largest nuclear force in the world and holds the dubious distinction of being the only country to use these weapons in combat. As a result, the U.S. has a special responsibility to lead the way in reducing its own nuclear weapons stockpile and calling for other nuclear armed nations to follow suite. Following is analysis and opinion from Ploughshares Fund staff, grantees and guests on the ongoing struggle to deal with nuclear weapons in the United States.

  • Military contractors await budget details

    President Obama announced a 4 percent increase in the basic Pentagon budget, but companies are concerned that the administration's emphasis on simpler arms for immediate use will shift spending away from futuristic weapons.  According to Ploughshares Fund grantee

    February 26, 2009 - By Anonymous

  • A Feel Good Victory: Nuclear Pork is No Longer on the Menu

    by Joe Cirincione and Alexandra Bell of the Ploughshares Fund

    A coalition of citizens groups and progressive House Members just saved the American taxpayers a whole lot of money. They eliminated from the stimulus bill $1 billion dollars for nuclear weapons work the Senate had stuffed in.

    February 21, 2009 - By Joe Cirincione

  • Biden signals 'game changing' nuclear policy

    Vice President Joe Biden told Gareth Evans this weekend that the Obama administration will engage in serious "game changing" policy on nuclear weapon reduction.  Evans, president of the Ploughshares-funded

    February 14, 2009 - By Anonymous

  • Nuclear pork no longer on the stimulus menu - a victory for Ploughshares Fund grantees

    by Joe Cirincione and Alexandra Bell of the Ploughshares Fund

    A coalition of citizens groups and progressive House Members just saved the American taxpayers a whole lot of money. They eliminated from the stimulus bill $1 billion dollars for nuclear weapons work the Senate had stuffed in.

    February 14, 2009 - By Joe Cirincione

  • U.S. ahead of schedule reducing nuclear arsenal

    The United States is two years ahead of the Moscow Treaty schedule in reducing its nuclear warheads, according to Hans Kristensen of the Ploughshares-funded Federation of American Sc

    February 12, 2009 - By Anonymous

  • Space crash and debris called 'catastrophic'

    U.S. and Russian satellites collided 800 km above Earth, generating debris that could damage or even destroy other satellites.  Tuesday’s smashup of a derelict Russian military satellite and a working U.S. commercial satellite occurred in the busiest part of near-Earth space.

    February 12, 2009 - By Anonymous

  • Follow-up piece in Huffington Post

    Joe and Ploughshares Fund Research Associate Alexandra Bell co-authored a follow-up to Joe's February 5 piece in the Huffington Post.  Due to the efforts of many Ploughshares grantees and p

    February 11, 2009 - By Joe Cirincione

  • Afghan civil society speaks out on U.S. policy

    by Lisa Schirch

    Washington, D.C. - As policymakers in Washington assess the best way forward in Afghanistan, they should heed advice from thousands of Afghan civil society leaders working to improve their country. While divided in their support for a troop surge, Afghan civil society leaders are unanimous in wanting a shift in the US approach to their country. Afghanistan needs a "3D" strategy with a better balance and better divisions of labour between military defense, diplomacy and development.

    February 8, 2009 - By Anonymous

  • Cut the nuclear pork from the stimulus bill

    Some Senators have stealthily stuffed $1 billion for nuclear weapons into the recovery bill. The only thing this will stimulate is an arms race. It must go.

    The Senate bill now contains language authorizing $1 billion "for weapons activities" at the sprawling nuclear weapons complex of laboratories and factories run by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), including new construction, new projects and new computers. The House bill does not contain this funding, for good reason.

    February 8, 2009 - By Joe Cirincione

  • AAAS - Annual Meeting

    At the annual meeting for American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Chicago, Illinois, Joe Cirincione spoke on a panel  titled "The Science of Arms Control" about

    February 6, 2009 - By Anonymous