| Issue Statements - Priorities |
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Preventing the Proliferation of Nuclear and Conventional Weapons
Proliferation is perhaps the most serious threat to U.S. national security today. While we no longer fear the threat of all-out nuclear war, the likelihood that America will be attacked by terrorists with a nuclear, chemical, or biological weapon has increased. We need to spend our resources wisely to make sure that we can protect our nation from these threats.
At the same time, we must ensure that the nuclear door isn't reopened. The Administration should enhance our leadership position on nuclear nonproliferation, rather than develop nuclear weapons that will not work and will only encourage other nations to build their own. We must do all that we can to keep the world's most dangerous weapons out of the world's most dangerous hands.
We must:
- Prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: Increased availability of the technology and material necessary to develop and deliver WMD for other nations and terrorist organizations has profound security implications for the United States and the rest of the world.
- Keep the nuclear door closed: Pursuing the development of new nuclear weapons such as the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP), the so-called “bunker buster,” especially when we already have a robust nuclear arsenal, only increases the chances of them falling into the hands of terrorists or rogue states who will not be deterred.
- Prohibit the use of cluster munitions in civilian areas: Far too often, cluster bombs wound, maim and kill innocent civilians rather than their intended military target. I believe we need to enact legislation to prevent the purchase, use, or sell cluster bombs with a high failure rate (1 percent or higher) in or near any concentration of civilians.
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