CNN – Cheney: Time to ratify nuclear test ban treaty
In an opinion article for CNN this morning, BGen Stephen Cheney discuss the need to increase our national security in the nuclear weapons arena
It’s been a year since the United States ratified the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia, and it’s time to reflect on its benefits. By allowing us to restart inspections, verifications and the dismantling of nuclear assets, New START has established transparency, predictability and stability that serves the security of the whole world.
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Yet this era demands thinking outside the conventions of nuclear war. We need weapons for fighting the enemies of today, not the Soviets of yesteryear. In the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our greatest threat has not been nuclear weapons fueled by uranium, but buried homemade bombs fueled by fertilizer. Investments in equipment, technology and training designed to combat low technology threats have proven more decisive in protecting the lives of our troops than any of our nuclear assets.
