Avoiding Cold War Mistakes

Adam Smith: Cut nuke spending - “I think to have a Cold War nuclear policy is completely inappropriate to the current times,” House Armed Services Ranking Member Adam Smith, (D-WA), said in an interview with Joe Gould for Defense News. “We ought to rethink our approach, and the LRSO is one place to start, and it’s only one piece of the larger debate. The final thing I’ll say is the LRSO is low-yield, which is the oxymoron of a tactical nuclear weapon. There is no such thing as a tactical nuclear weapon. Going nuclear is going nuclear.”

--“It's an absolute guarantee that [nuclear next-generation plans] will be taken up by a future administration, because it's a decade-long, trillion-dollar program. I think the long term decision will be made by the next administration, and we wanted to set the framework for that discussion in a place where we realize we don’t have to spend all this money and there are better choices to be made.” Full interview here. http://bit.ly/298tdn8

Tweet - @DarylGKimball: Est. costs of US nuke weapons programs make clear that "all-of-the-above" approach of @BarackObama is unsustainable

Mayors for Nonproliferation - The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges the next U.S. president to “pursue diplomacy with other nuclear-armed states; participate in negotiations for the elimination of nuclear weapons; cut nuclear weapons spending and redirect funds to meet the needs of cities,” according to a resolution adopted by the Conference June 27. “The Obama Administration … has laid the groundwork for the United States to spend one trillion dollars over the next three decades to maintain and modernize its nuclear bombs and warheads.”

--“The USCM calls on the next President of the United States, as an urgent matter, to pursue new diplomatic initiatives to lower tensions with Russia and China and to dramatically reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles; and ... to reduce nuclear weapons spending to the minimum necessary to assure the safety and security of the existing weapons as they await disablement and dismantlement, and to redirect those funds to address the urgent needs of cities and rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.” Full resolution here. http://bit.ly/29dujlh

Tweet - @KingstonAReif: McCain last month: nuclear modernization "is very, very, very expensive...Do we really need the entire triad..."? http://bit.ly/292S6OT

Iran Deal good for Israel - “On Tuesday, Rep. Jerry Nadler, an incumbent from New York with more than two decades in the House, overwhelming won his Democratic primary—with almost 90 percent of the vote… The victory for a backer of the Iran deal is especially poignant considering that Nadler’s challenger, Oliver Rosenberg, a young former JP Morgan banker, made the race about Nadler’s support for diplomacy—then lost by a margin virtually unseen outside developing world dictatorships,” writes Ali Gharib for LobeLog.

--“The 10th congressional district of New York includes Manhattan’s Upper West Side and parts of Brooklyn, including more Jewish voters than any other congressional district… One cannot buy into [the] notion that this deal is ‘bad for the Jews’ or anti-Israel… Israel’s security establishment is virtually united in favor of the deal — or at least acknowledging its benefits — and even a litany of right-wingers have come around to the notion.” Full article here. http://bit.ly/2952RBh

Video - Watch Barbara Slavin and Kate Gould discuss the Iran Nuclear Deal in this webinar hosted by WAND. http://bit.ly/29teHWT

Don’t miss the Timbie Forum - Make sure to attend this year’s James Timbie Forum on Arms Control and Nonproliferation on July 14 and 15. The event’s first day will feature Rose Gottemoeller, deputy secretary general of NATO; and Representatives Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Seth Moulton (D-MA). On the second day Jon Wolfsthal, National Security Council senior director for arms control and nonproliferation, will deliver closing remarks. Register here. http://bit.ly/28Mit1u

Honoring Helen Caldicott - “Over her long career, [Helen Caldicott] has demonstrated tremendous passion, skill, and dedication for consistently raising and calling citizens to action on the pressing nuclear and environmental issues of our time,” writes Honora Gibbons for WAND.

--Caldicott argues “the international community has insufficiently addressed nuclear weapons-related catastrophes, including the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki … [and] has since increased its dependency on nuclear weapons and nuclear power. ‘We are closer to a nuclear war today than we ever were during the Cold War,’ Caldicott urged. Dr. Helen Caldicott is a trailblazer and role model, not only for the women at WAND, but for women everywhere who seek to make the world a healthier, safer, more peaceful place.” Full article here. http://bit.ly/29tdTB6

Video - Watch this animated report on the world’s nuclear arsenal from Defense News using SIPRI’s latest data. http://bit.ly/298vnEX

Quick Hits:

--“Does Russia Have a Coherent Nuclear Strategy?” by Dave Majumdar for The National Interest. http://bit.ly/297z4gz

--“The double-edged sword: US nuclear command and control modernization,” by Andrew Futter for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. http://bit.ly/29t8ZUM

--“A Partial Success for the Musudan: Addendum,” by John Schilling for 38 North. http://bit.ly/2952Hto

--“In Vienna, a Renewed Effort to Push the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty,” by Sylvia Mishra for The Wire. http://bit.ly/298c8fz

Events:

--“After the Prague Agenda: The Future of U.S. Nuclear Security,” with Frank Klotz, Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration. June 30 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the World Affairs Council, 312 Sutter St., Suite 200, San Francisco. Register online. http://bit.ly/291nqA6

--“Nuclear Policy for the Next Administration,” with Christopher Peble, Cato Institute; Kelsey Davenport, Arms Control Association; Steven Pifer, Brookings Institute; and moderated by Joseph Cirincione, Ploughshares Fund. July 6 at 6:00 p.m. at the American Foreign Service Association, 2010 E St. NW, Washington. http://bit.ly/1ZOcqs3

--“Senate Perspectives on Nuclear Deterrence, Arms Control and Proliferation,” featuring Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN). July 12 at 8:00 a.m. at the Capitol Hill Club, 300 First St. SE, Washington. Part of the Huessy Congressional Breakfast Seminar Series. RSVP online. http://conta.cc/25ULZFH

--The James Timbie Forum for Arms Control and Nonproliferation. At the State Department (July 14) and George Washington University (July 15). Register here. http://bit.ly/28Mit1u