Thursday, July 15, 2010
WASHINGTON, July 15 (UPI) -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee opened its 12th hearing on the New Strategic Arms Treaty Thursday by welcoming testimony from U.S. nuclear lab directors.
"Today, we are going to discuss a final issue that skeptics have raised: how to ensure that the weapons we retain under the treaty are adequately maintained," committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass, said. "The president has requested $80 billion over the next 10 years to maintain our nuclear weapons and modernize the nuclear complex so that we can preserve our nuclear deterrent for as long as we need it. Eighty billion dollars is a significant investment, representing a 15 percent increase over baseline spending even after accounting for inflation -- that's an additional $1 billion per year. …
"Today we are pleased to welcome the directors of our nation's three nuclear weapons laboratories. Together, they are responsible for maintaining the safety and reliability of our deterrent force. That is a task requiring not only a great commitment to our nation's defense but the highest degree of scientific knowledge and technical skill. We are fortunate that this responsibility has fallen to the three dedicated professionals with us this afternoon," Kerry said before introducing Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Michael Anastasio, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Director George Miller and Sandia National Laboratories Director Paul Hommert.
Kerry also introduced into the record a letter written by former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Sen. Sam Nunn, who urged a speedy ratification of the treaty.
"Noting the full support of the secretary of state, secretary of defense, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and following our own review of the Treaty, we urge the Senate to give its advice and consent to ratification of New START as early as is feasible," the two statesmen wrote in their letter to the committee.
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