Tuesday, February 23, 2021
  • About us
    • Write for us
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms of use
    • Privacy Policy
  • RSS Feeds
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
DefenceTalk
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
DefenceTalk
No Result
View All Result

Biden urged to renounce sole control of US nuclear weapons

by Agence France-Presse
January 11, 2021
in Nuclear Weapons News
2 min read
0
Biden: Better Conventional Arms Will Allow Nuclear Drawdown
43
SHARES
591
VIEWS

A former US defense secretary has called on President-elect Joe Biden to reform the system that gives sole control of the nation’s nuclear arsenal to the president, calling it “outdated, unnecessary and extremely dangerous.”

The call from William Perry came the same day US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke with the nation’s top military leader about ensuring that an “unhinged” President Donald Trump not be able to launch a nuclear attack in his final days in office.

“Once in office, Biden should announce he would share authority to use nuclear weapons with a select group in Congress,” said Perry, who served under President Bill Clinton.

He was writing in Politico magazine with Tom Collina of the Ploughshares Fund, which advocates for stronger nuclear controls.

They said Biden, who takes office January 20, should also declare that the United States will never start a nuclear war and would use the bomb only in retaliation.

The piece argues that the current system gives the president — any president — “the godlike power to deliver global destruction in an instant,” an approach the authors call “undemocratic, outdated, unnecessary and extremely dangerous.”

Perry, who was defense minister from 1994 to 1997, calls Trump “unhinged” and adds, “Do we really think that Trump is responsible enough to trust him with the power to end the world?”

American presidents are accompanied at all times by a military aide who carries a briefcase known as “the football” which contains the secret codes and information needed to launch a nuclear strike.

Perry and Collina warn that presidents possess the “absolute authority to start a nuclear war.

“Within minutes, Trump can unleash hundreds of atomic bombs, or just one. He does not need a second opinion. The Defense secretary has no say. Congress has no role.”

They then ask: “Why are we taking this risk?”

Such vast presidential authority, the article notes, dates from the waning days of World War II, when president Harry Truman decided, after the nuclear horror unleashed by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, that the power to order the use of atomic weapons should not be left in the hands of the military — that it should be up to the president alone.

Tags: bidennuclear strikenuclear weaponstrump
Previous Post

Final Trophy Active Protection Systems Delivered to US Army

Next Post

Night-Vision Revolution: Less Weight, Improved Performance

Related Posts

Iran moves websites to avoid cyber attacks

Iran renews call to US to lift all sanctions imposed by Trump

February 19, 2021

Iran on Friday renewed its call for the US to lift all sanctions imposed by former president Donald Trump, after...

France must clean up Algerian nuclear test sites: group

Algerian general says France must take responsibility for nuke sites

February 8, 2021

France must "shoulder its historic responsibilities" for 1960s nuclear test sites in Algeria, a senior Algerian military official said in...

Next Post
Night-Vision Revolution: Less Weight, Improved Performance

Night-Vision Revolution: Less Weight, Improved Performance

Latest Defense News

United States B-1B bomber training in the Australian Top End

USAF begins retirement of B-1 aircraft, paving way for B-21

February 22, 2021
Four Taiwan ex-intelligence officers charged with spying for China

Four Taiwan ex-intelligence officers charged with spying for China

February 22, 2021
Saudi arms producer in defence venture with Lockheed Martin

Saudi arms producer in defence venture with Lockheed Martin

February 22, 2021
Third NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Aircraft Arrives at Sigonella

NATO’s first operational UAS flying unit

February 22, 2021
Israel and US begin Arrow 4 development

Israel and US begin Arrow 4 development

February 22, 2021
Norwegian Army Adding 20 CV90s to its Fleet

Norwegian Army Adding 20 CV90s to its Fleet

February 19, 2021

Defense Forum Discussions

  • Facebook War Against Australia
  • The Indonesian Army
  • Australian Army Discussions and Updates
  • Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates
  • Taiwan Navy News and Developments
  • China - Geostrategic & Geopolitical.
  • Space technology can help us preserve our environment
  • Royal Canadian Navy Discussions and updates
  • Royal New Zealand Navy Discussions and Updates
  • Afghanistan War
DefenceTalk

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com

Navigate Site

  • Defence Forum
  • Military Photos
  • RSS Feeds
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com