William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry: “For 57 years nuclear weapons have played a central role in maintaining our freedom and in preventing the kind of world…”

“For 57 years nuclear weapons have played a central role in maintaining our freedom and in preventing the kind of world wars which plagued the early part of the 20th century. There can be no doubt that nuclear weapons will continue to be central to our security as long as any of us are around. Nuclear weapons exist. We cannot uninvent them. We cannot wipe them off the memory banks of human knowledge, and we should not try to stick our heads in the sand and wish them away. The facts, Mr. Chairman, are that 12 countries now have nuclear weapon programs, 13 countries have biological weapons programs, 16 countries have chemical weapons programs, according to the administration, and that does not count other groups, like al Qaeda, who are trying to acquire them. The United States does not have chemical and biological, so we must have a strong nuclear deterrent to deter use of those weapons of mass destruction, and our deterrent must be credible against a broader array of threats.”