National Security and Nuclear Weapons:

[rossana at comodinoposta.org]

La notizia l'aveva già data il washingtonpost:

Washington, 26 lug
L’amministrazione del presidente Usa, George Bush, ha comunicato al 
Congresso che un ritardo nello stanziamento dei fondi per la costruzione 
di una nuova generazione di armi nucleari potrebbe rendere necessari dei 
test sotterranei per verificare che i vecchi ordigni siano sempre 
efficienti. La comunicazione è arrivata nell'ambito di un documento 
sulle armi atomiche dell'Amministrazione, sottoscrito dai ministri 
dell'Energia, della Difesa e dal segretario di Stato, in cui si prendono 
le difese del cosiddetto “Rrw - Reliable Replacement Warhead program” 
(Programma per la sostituzione sicura delle testate nucleari, ndr): nel 
loro intervento, i membri del governo statunitense affermano che “i 
ritardi nel Rrw fanno aumentare la possibilità di un ritorno ai test 
atomici sotterranei per sondare l'affidabilità delle armi esistenti”.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/25/AR2007072502093.html?hpid=sec-politics

National Security and Nuclear Weapons:,Maintaining Deterrence in the 
21st Century
http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/factsheets/2007/NA-07-FS-04.pdf

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) July 25, 2007
The White House wants Congress to fund US nuclear missile updates to 
dissuade possible attacks from countries such as Iran and North Korea, 
according to a government report released Wednesday. "Credible US 
nuclear capabilities and our security commitment to allies remain an 
indispensable part of deterrence and an important element in our effort 
to limit proliferation," said the report prepared by the Departments of 
Energy, Defense and State.

"The future security environment is very uncertain, and some trends are 
not favorable," it said, pointing to North Korea and Iran as countries 
whose nuclear programs "underscore the importance of US security 
guarantees."

The document sent to Congress, titled National Security and Nuclear 
Weapons: Maintaining Deterrence in the 21st Century, recalls that in 
2001, President George W. Bush ordered reduced by 2012 the number of 
strategic nuclear weapons from 6,000 to between 2,200 and 1,700.

The Bush administration estimates that that number of nuclear weapons, 
while smaller than the Cold War arsenal, is sufficient, but says that 
the weapons must be modernized.

"The United States needs to invest in the Reliable Replacement Warhead 
program.

"The sooner Congress authorizes and funds transformative replacement 
programs ... the sooner the United States and its allies can realize the 
benefits this approach holds for maintaining a credible and effective 
deterrent with the lowest possible level of nuclear weapons," it said.