Ed Markey: “Our current nuclear arsenal has significant overkill that is built into it. Our country continues to spend more and more…”

“Our current nuclear arsenal has significant overkill that is built into it. Our country continues to spend more and more taxpayer money on nuclear weapons even though the President and the Senate have already agreed to reduce the number of deployed nuclear weapons, and even though there is a growing bipartisan consensus that the United States has an excessive number of nuclear weapons and that the United States spends far more than it needs to for a nuclear deterrent and defense. That is why I rise today to offer my amendment: to reduce the number of deployed intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles from 450 to 300. I believe that this is the soundest approach to both our national security and our economic security needs. Each of our land-based nuclear missiles costs us--and this is an incredible number--$2.4 million every year to operate and to maintain. My amendment would save the taxpayers about $360 million next year and every year after that. It's not just arms control groups that support this departure from Cold War thinking. It also includes General James Cartwright, who until last year was the commander of the United States' nuclear forces. General Cartwright published a report in May that concluded that zero intercontinental ballistic missiles are necessary for our nuclear deterrent or defense. The former commander of U.S. nuclear forces doesn't think we need ICBMs at all.…”