The group Global Zero recently released a report assessing nuclear weapons spending worldwide. Their findings indicate that over the next decade, governments will significantly increase their nuclear weapons spending, eventually surpassing $1 trillion over the next decade.

While this figure is significant, it must also be taken with a grain of salt. First, the trillion dollar figure is what Global Zero calls the “full cost” of nuclear weapons, as opposed to the “core cost.” Core costs refer to "researching, developing, procuring, testing, operating, maintaining and upgrading the nuclear arsenal." Full costs are derived from a more holistic approach, including "unpaid/deferred environmental and health costs, missile defenses assigned to defend nuclear weapons, nuclear threat reduction, and incident management". The report’s figure for the core cost of nuclear weapons over the next decade rests at about $670 million, therefore falling short of the $1 trillion dollar figure.

Another concern is that the report’s figures have a wide margin of error. Quantifying even broad defense spending for countries like Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea is problematic, and as such, speculating about their total nuclear spending is near impossible. Global Zero admits this, but fairly argues that these programs are “small enough that inaccuracies in estimates would have negligible effect on the general conclusion." At current levels, "the nine nuclear weapons countries are spending approximately one trillion dollars per decade."

Methodological concerns aside, what the report succinctly expresses is that world-wide investment in nuclear weapons is greater than ever.

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Global Zero, Defense Spending, USA, Russia (all tags)

I’m sorry to do this, but there’s just been too much malarkey around here lately.

Ok, ok, we’ll stay open-minded on the first part. But absolutely no exceptions on part two.

(h/t: nogoodreason at flickr via Alex “Nuclear Hasselhoff” Bollfrass, whose new book NOH is reading with great interest and will post about soon!)

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Nukes on a Blog, Global Zero (all tags)

Part II of two posts on the Global Zero Movement
Click here for Part I

As I noted in an earlier blog, the Global Zero movement is supported by both senior level government officials, including Presidents Obama and Medvedev, and high profile celebrities who believe in the vision of a world free from nuclear weapons.  But developing a parallel base of grassroots support is equally as important as securing endorsements from the big names.  

As Global Zero puts it “as more leaders in nuclear and non-nuclear countries come out in support of Zero, a show of global public support could help tip the balance.”  Global Zero is dedicated to raising the profile of the movement to eliminate nuclear dangers by both seeking out voices guaranteed to garner attention and attempting to build the necessary public support to ensure success.

Student activism played an important role in the success of several past movements, including the nuclear freeze movement. Seeking to capitalize on this potentially enormous wellspring of support, Global Zero has worked to establish several chapters at universities throughout the United States and around the globe…

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Nukes on a Blog, Global Zero (all tags)

The congressionally mandated Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which outlines U.S. nuclear strategy, forces, and readiness, has been delayed until, at the earliest, the second half of this month.  According to a senior administration official, the review will call for “dramatic reductions in the stockpile,” a “greater role for conventional weapons in deterrence” and ruling out the need for low-yield, bunker-busting nuclear weapons capable of penetrating underground targets.  

While this is very encouraging news, there is still some concern that the new NPR will not go far enough towards achieving President Obama’s goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.  Reports have indicated that early drafts of the Nuclear Posture Review fell short of the transformational vision put forth by the President in Prague.  Here’s to hoping that when he makes his final decisions on the review, President Obama will take his cues from the rapidly growing Global Zero movement rather than those who may be urging him not to stray too far from the status quo…

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Nukes on a Blog, Nuclear Posture Review, Global Zero (all tags)