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Several thousand nuclear weapons are currently on hair-trigger alert, ready to be fired within minutes of an order to do so. Such a posture, a relic of the Cold War, significantly increases the likelihood of accidental nuclear war and has no place in today’s security context.
The UN General Assembly’s First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) passed a resolution last week calling on all states to decrease the operational readiness of nuclear weapons systems, with a view to ensuring that all nuclear weapons are removed from high alert status.
Led by New Zealand, Chile, Nigeria, Sweden and Switzerland, 124 countries voted in favor of the resolution.
Shamefully, three countries voted against this resolution: the United States, France and the United Kingdom.
The accidental launch of nuclear weapons due to mechanical or human error is a very real possibility. De-alerting nuclear arsenals would significantly decrease the possibility of a catastrophic accident, and would demonstrate good faith as a first step toward complete nuclear disarmament.
We must continue to put pressure on the governments of the Nuclear Weapon States so they will realize that nuclear de-alerting and disarmament are in the best interests of all members of the human race.
Rick Wayman is the Director of Programs at the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (www.wagingpeace.org)