Forty-three members of Congress have penned a letter to President Obama urging him to reconsider unilateral reductions to the nation’s nuclear arsenal. “Although we understand your desire for a world without nuclear weapons, we believe that your proposal would make that goal less attainable and jeopardize America’s security,” states the letter, which comes in response to a speech Obama delivered in Berlin on June 19 announcing his intentions to reduce the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons by up to one-third. The letter argues that a strong nuclear deterrent provides security not only for the US but also for its allies. “We face a world today in which nuclear threats to the United States are increasing and our conventional military capabilities face dramatic reductions. In this context, our nuclear deterrent is becoming more important,” states the letter. “A robust, reliable nuclear force consisting of strategic bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles places our rivals on notice that there is no advantage to be gained in seeking to match U.S. nuclear forces and reassures our allies who rely on our nuclear ‘umbrella.’”
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
