Update on the Nuclear Arms Race: What you can do to end it and make the US and the world more secure Hiroshima – Nagasaki Day Memorial Service August 9, 2009 Jimmy Spearow, Ph.D. Representing Sacramento Physicians for Social Responsibility

"Little Boy" 235 Uranium Bomb Yield 13,000 tons (13 Kiloton) TNT Dropped on Hiroshima: 140,000 Civilian Deaths

“Fat Man” 239 Plutonium Bomb Yield 20,000 tons (20 Kilotons) TNT

Burn and Radiation Injuries

Mortality from Fireball and Thermal Wave Acute Radiation Exposure Radioactive Fallout Immune suppression, Epidemics of Infectious Disease Blast Wave Electromagnetic Pulse Damage Societal Collapse, Economic and Environmental Costs Nuclear Winter WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION & TERROR Medical Effects of Nuclear Weapons

Mortality from Fireball and Thermal Wave Acute Radiation Exposure Radioactive Fallout Immune suppression, Epidemics of Infectious Disease Blast Wave Electromagnetic Pulse Damage Societal Collapse, Economic and Environmental Costs Nuclear Winter WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION & TERROR Medical Effects of Nuclear Weapons

Lethal Nuclear Weapon Effects Effects of Kiloton ~ 500 Kiloton Blast Thermal & Direct 1-2 Mile 5-6 Mile Radiation Effects Radius Radius Radioactive Fallout ~ 5-15 Miles ~100 Miles (Ground burst) Number of deaths >100,000 Hundreds of from attacking Thousands a major city

A Nuclear War between US and Russia is likely to result in Million immediate Deaths on each side Prevention of Nuclear War needs to have a high Priority

14 Factors Driving the Nuclear and Conventional Arms Race Nationalism Develop Weapons Military Industrial Complex Insecurity Perceived Military Threats Nation "A" Perceived Military Threats Insecurity Military Industrial Complex Develop Weapons Nationalism Nation "B" Conflicts over resources or ideologies Nuclear proliferation increases threats

US/Russian Strategic Nuclear Weapons

US/Russian Strategic Nuclear Weapons

New Way of Thinking: Arms Control and Conflict Resolution can promote Mutual Security and Peace Arms Treaties and Disarmament Goodwill Desire to help others Improved Domestic & Foreign Aid & Services Increased Security Nation "A" Increased Security Improved Domestic & Foreign Aid & Services Goodwill Desire to help others Arms Treaties and Disarmament Nation "B" Conflict Resolution, Cooperation & Mutual Security

Threats of Nuclear War *Major Nuclear Powers US, Russia, China, Great Britain, France Militarization of Space, False Warnings & Fear of Preemptive First Strikes  Increased Risks Nuclear War *Nuclear Proliferation by other Nations India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Iran? & ? Escalation of Conventional War-> Nuclear War *Nuclear Terrorism by Non-State Actors Stolen or Smuggled Nuclear / Radiological Weapon

Arms Control Treaties Limited Test Ban Treaty Non-Proliferation Treaty Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I) Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT II) Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty II (START II)

6,0003,500 START II 2,500 START IIISTART I Bush- Putin Agreement In Storage Abandoned 2002

George W. Bush Administration Counterforce Nuclear Weapons Policy 2001: Bush-Putin circumvented START III 2001: Opposed Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty 2001: Withdrew from ABM Treaty 2002: Nuclear Posture Review--> First Strike Policy 2002: Pushed to develop “Bunker Buster” Mini-Nukes 2002: Declared Iraqi WMD a threat to US security 2003: Invasion & Occupation of Iraq. 2004: Deployed Missile “Defense” System 2007: Pushed to upgrade US nuclear bomb manufacturing plants (Complex 2030 & Reliable Replacement Warheads) 2007: Pushed to deploy Missile Interceptors in Europe 2008: Abandoned negotiations on successor to START

-President George W. Bush Military Policies: -1) Disavowing Arms Control Treaties -2) Threatening Nuclear & Conventional First Strikes -3) US Ballistic Missile Defense & Militarization of Space -4) Using US military to garner and control world resources (Oil) (Economic Imperialism) -These policies were very destabilizing, likely to: -Create Animosity toward the US; -Renew & destabilize the Arms Race; -Increase Long-term Chances of Nuclear War;

Opportunities for Nuclear Disarmament *January George Schultz, Henry Kissinger, William Perry and Sam Nunn – Called to promote a world Free of Nuclear Weapons. Now is the time to push for nuclear disarmament by treaty negotiations.

Change in Nuclear Weapons Policy President Barack Obama declared in Prague April 2009 that the United States will "take concrete steps toward a world without nuclear weapons."

President Obama’s Nuclear Arms Control Agenda President Obama negotiating a successor to Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russian President Medvemed – Reduce number of US and Russian strategic Nuclear Weapons by ~ one third. –Contention over Ballistic Missile Defenses in Europe –Russian concerns missile interceptors could be used to block Russian retaliation after a US pre- emptive first strike –US Senate opposed to any concessions on BMD Urge Congress to Support and Ratify this Nuclear Arms Control Treaty.

President Obama Supports Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) Bans the detonation of any nuclear bombs. Agreed to by 41 of 44 nuclear states, ratified by : Without hearings, ratification failed in US Senate : Bush withdraws from CTBT 2009: Obama Supports CTBT Urge Congress to Ratify CTBT

Non-Proliferation Treaty Seeks to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology In exchange for non-nuclear nations agreeing to not develop Nuclear weapons, Nuclear nations agreed to: 1) Not target non-nuclear nations; 2) Decrease the number of nuclear weapons; and 3) Eventually eliminate nuclear weapons. President Obama Supports Strengthening Non- Proliferation Treaty and Taking nuclear weapons off Hair Trigger Launch

Unsolved Problems with Nuclear Power Waste Yucca Flats Nuclear Waste Depository on hold Bush Administration’s “Global Nuclear Energy Partnership” -Reprocesses Nuclear Power waste to purify plutonium and Uranium - Domestically and Globally -Increases stockpiles of weapons-usable plutonium Nuclear Power Plant  Reprocess  Plutonium  Warheads Major Nuclear Proliferation Risk -Reprocessing increases volume of radioactive waste  Increased exposure to radioactivity PSR Urges President Obama and Congress to abandon nuclear waste reprocessing.

Which Nuclear Weapons Policy will we choose? Deterrence Counterforce Mutually Assured Destruction Or Non-Proliferation and Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament

The Future is in our Hands ! PSR Urges you to support President Obama’s Disarmament and Non- Proliferation Treaty Efforts

Other Sources of Information Physicians for Social Responsibility Sacramento PSR Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Teach Peace Foundation

Summary PSR Urges you to contact your congressional representatives and request that they support and ratify President Obama’s nuclear arms control efforts including: A successor to Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Strengthening Non-Proliferation Treaty Taking nuclear weapons off Hair Trigger Launch However, PSR Urges President Obama and Congress to abandon nuclear waste reprocessing.

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Extra Slides for question and answer period

Anticipated Fallout from Bombing a Nuclear Power plant Fetter & Tsipis Scientific American April 1981 Attack on Nuclear Power Plant anticipated to be the Worst Nuclear Disaster

Unprecedented Public Health Disaster

Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty Negotiated with the former Soviet Union during the Cold War. Forbids testing and deployment of Sea, Space or Mobile ballistic missile defense systems. ABM Treaty is important: While ABM system may shoot down rogue missiles, it can also be very destabilizing especially if coupled with first strike weapons. 2001: Bush administration announces US withdrawal from ABM treaty. ~2004 Russia Develops Topol-M “Crazy Ivan” ICBM 2007: US plans to deploy ABM in Eastern Europe

Factors Driving the Nuclear & Conventional Arms Race Nationalism Develop Weapons Military Industrial Complex Insecurity Perceived Military Threats Nation "A" Perceived Military Threats Insecurity Military Industrial Complex Develop Weapons Nationalism Nation "B" Conflicts over Resources or Ideologies

President Obama’s Nuclear Arms Control Agenda President Obama negotiating a successor to Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russian President Medvemed- –Reduce US and Russian strategic Nuclear Weapons by 1/3 –Contention over US Ballistic Missile Defenses in Europe –Russian concerns- missile interceptors could be used to block Russian retaliation after a US pre-emptive first strike –US Senate opposed to any concessions on BMD President Obama Supports Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty –Ratification narrowly failed in 1999 President Obama Supports Strengthening Non-Proliferation Treaty Supports taking nuclear weapons off Hair Trigger Launch Urge Congress to Support and Ratify President Obama’s Nuclear Arms Control Treaties.