Tag Archives: nuclear arms control

The G-7 nations issued a declaration on nuclear weapons this week. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States called for a world without nuclear weapons.

To help achieve nuke disarmament the G-7 is urging passage of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). This treaty would end all types of nuclear test explosions. Prior treaties had placed limitations on nuke tests, but not a complete ban. Ending nuke testing is an essential step toward establishing the conditions where disarmament can take place.

The declaration reads, “Early entry into force and universalization of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is in the security interests of every nation. States that have yet to sign or ratify the Treaty should do so without waiting for others.”

There are currently eight nations who have yet to ratify the treaty, and thus preventing it from taking effect. These countries include the United States, China, North Korea, Israel, Iran, Egypt, India and Pakistan.

The U.S. Senate rejected the treaty in a 1999 vote. President Obama supports the CTBT, but has not resubmitted to the Senate. Many believe passage by the Senate is more possible now than before. There is increasing confidence in the science behind the maintenance of nuclear arsenals without test explosions. This was a major concern when the Senate voted against the CTBT.

The G-7 is also urging nations to support the Treaty’s international monitoring system for detecting nuclear explosions. Hundreds of detection stations have been set up around the world. This system is critical for making sure other nations do not cheat the treaty and conduct test explosions in secret. However, the system will not be fully functional until the treaty has taken effect.

The declaration also reads, “We also welcome the establishment of the Group of Eminent Persons and support its activities, which will inject new energy and dynamics into the push for entry into force.”

What is needed to get the CTBT approved is active public support across all nations. Groups with a strong following like Global Zero, the Ploughshares Fund and others may hold the key to gaining that support.

The alternative is frightening. The resumption of nuclear testing would heighten international tensions, end disarmament hopes and increase the already expensive burden of nuclear arsenals. Other nations will be encouraged to build nuclear weapons, should the current powers resume testing.

To achieve global nuclear disarmament, a treaty banning nuclear weapons testing needs to be in place. However, there are currently eight nations who have yet to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT): China, North Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States.

There is strong support for this treaty, but not everyone is on board yet, especially in the United States Senate. Yet, the consequences of returning to nuclear weapons testing would be a disaster. More nations would test their weapons and others would be encouraged to develop them. It would be almost impossible to gain further cuts in nuclear arsenals under those conditions.

The focus is gaining the confidence of those who are unsure of the treaty. Concerns over the ability to detect nuclear explosions in violation of the CTBT is one issue. Another is the ability to maintain current arsenals without testing.

A report from the National Research Council in 2012 showed that the U.S. did not need nuclear test explosions to maintain its nuclear weapons arsenal.

Ellen D. Williams, who led the committee that authored the report said, “So long as the nation is fully committed to securing its weapons stockpile and provides sufficient resources for doing so, the U.S. has the technical capabilities to maintain safe, reliable nuclear weapons into the foreseeable future without the need for underground weapons testing.”

The report also verified that the detection system for nuclear explosions has improved and is reliable. The capability to detect nuclear explosions has been developed little-by-little really since the Cold War. This research has improved and built the international monitoring system that the CTBT now uses. That monitoring system will improve even more once the treaty takes full effect. More detection stations will come online.

Ratification of the treaty by the Senate is huge because U.S. leadership is so vital for building nuclear security and peace worldwide. It’s hard to imagine at this time other nations approving this treaty if the U.S. does not.

The idea of ending nuclear weapons testing has been one historically shared by Democrats and Republicans. It was their cooperation that forged the first limited treaty that banned nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere, underwater and outer space. In fact, both Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy championed the idea of ending all nuclear testing.

That same cooperation could again rise to the challenge. If it does we would achieve an important step toward reducing the nuclear danger and the massive cost of these weapons. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is that hurdle that must be cleared first.