U.S. warns Iran and North Korea in new nuclear policy

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The United States unveiled its new nuclear weapons policy on Tuesday, proposing limits on the use of nuclear weapons while warning that the spread of such weapons to other countries or terrorists will be staunchly opposed.

The new policy, outlined in the policy document called the Nuclear Posture Review, is a congressional requirement, but it is being closely watched because President Obama has made a nuclear-free world one of his foreign policy goals.

“The Nuclear Posture Review we are releasing today represents a milestone in the transformation of our nuclear forces and the way we approach nuclear issues,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a televised news conference with her counterparts from Defense and Energy.

“We are recalibrating our priorities to prevent nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism and we are reducing the role and number of weapons in our nuclear arsenal while maintaining a safe secure and effective deterrent to protect our nation allies and partners,” she said.

The policy calls for negotiating a drawdown on nuclear weapons with existing powers such as Russia, an end to increasing U.S. weapons and testing and working to prevent the spread of weapons to countries and terrorist groups.

For the first time, the United States said it will not use nuclear weapons against any non-nuclear country, a break with past policies which allowed the use of such weapons under some circumstances. But the pledge came with a warning that the nations would have to abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and not seek their own weapons.

The carrot-and-stick approach was designed to deal with Iran and North Korea and their nuclear ambitions. The United States is seeking stronger sanctions against Iran to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons. The United States and its allies are also in negotiations with North Korea on halting its program.

“The [Nuclear Posture Review] has a very strong message for both Iran and North Korea,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said at the news conference.

“We essentially carve out states like Iran and North Korea, that are not in compliance with [the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty], and basically all options are on the table when it comes to countries in that category along with non-state actors who might acquire nuclear weapons,” Gates said.

In its policy, the United States will give up developing new nuclear weapons, but will maintain the current configuration of weapons, including land, sea and air delivery systems, Gates said.

The United States will also continue to work to decrease the number of nuclear weapons, as witness recent negotiations on a new arms limitation agreement with Russia. Obama will travel to Prague on Thursday to sign the new agreement, which cuts some nuclear weapons by as much as 30%, according to the White House.

Gates said the new policy presents “a balanced and comprehensive approach” to making the U.S. more secure while also taking steps toward Obama’s goal of reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the world.

In addition to traveling to Prague, Obama will host a nuclear summit in Washington next week.
The report cites concerns about China’s stance on nuclear weapons even though the Chinese arsenal is much smaller than that of the U.S. and Russia.

“The lack of transparency surrounding its nuclear programs -- their pace and scope, as well as the strategy and doctrine that guides them -- raises questions about China’s future strategic intentions,” the review says.

In a prepared statement, Obama praised the review.

‘The Nuclear Posture Review, led by the Department of Defense, recognizes that the greatest threat to U.S. and global security is no longer a nuclear exchange between nations, but nuclear terrorism by violent extremists and nuclear proliferation to an increasing number of states. Moreover, it recognizes that our national security and that of our allies and partners can be increasingly defended by America’s unsurpassed conventional military capabilities and strong missile defenses,’ the president said.

‘As a result, we are taking specific and concrete steps to reduce the role of nuclear weapons while preserving our military superiority, deterring aggression and safeguarding the security of the American people.’
-- Michael Muskal

Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal