Mike Quigley: “Some of us in this room are old enough to remember duck and cover. As kids, the notion was that, if you hid under a…”

“Some of us in this room are old enough to remember duck and cover. As kids, the notion was that, if you hid under a half-inch plywood piece of desk under a thermonuclear attack, you would be safe. It is not a particularly rational idea, but not much more rational than our current nuclear posture. For decades, Presidents and Members of Congress from both parties have worked together to prevent the use and spread of nuclear weapons and materials. Starting with President Reagan's leadership, American Presidents have reduced the size of America's nuclear arsenal from its Cold War peak. In fact, Republican Presidents have cut the arsenal far more aggressively than their Democratic counterparts, yet this year's Energy and Water bill doubles down on an outdated Cold War strategy by unnecessarily diverting precious resources to build new nukes. It remains unclear how these weapons will solve 21st century national security threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks, or global warming. Rather than wasting dollars to keep up the status quo, we must find ways to replace the U.S. nuclear arsenal while maintaining a force capable of deterring nuclear attack against the U.S. and its allies. In 2013, the Pentagon determined that the U.S. could reduce its deployed strategic nuclear force by one-third below its current levels and still meet security requirements. According to the former vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military utility of U.S.…”