US Spends $8 Billion to Modernize Nuclear Weapons

Published in Berliner Umschau
(Germany) on 17 February 2012
by RIA Nowosti (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Catherine McGuinness. Edited by Janie Boschma  .
The U.S. wants to modernize their nuclear weapons. The plan, projected to be completed by 2016, has a budget of nearly $8 billion, as disclosed by John Harvey, the principal deputy assistant to the Secretary of Defense for nuclear and chemical and biological Defense Programs.

At the Nuclear Deterrence Summit on Thursday, Harvey, who is responsible for the ABC Program at the Pentagon, said that "after more than a decade of serious underfunding the nuclear weapons enterprise, the president put forward budget requests in [fiscal 2011] and [fiscal 2012] that included substantial new investments for this mission. We’ve had a very high level of support within the administration for getting these investments funded and sustained by Congress.”

Accordingly, from 2011 to 2016 Harvey expects to dedicate a total of $7.9 billion to this purpose. It took the Pentagon three years to gain the funding, and the fact that the money was eventually allotted is thanks to Congress.

With Congress' ratification of the most recent nuclear disarmament pact with Russia (START III), the U.S. administration effectively requires further substantial financing for nuclear weapons infrastructure. These conditions are included in the resolution.


USA modernisieren ihre Atomwaffen für acht Milliarden Dollar

Die USA wollen ihr Atomwaffen-Arsenal modernisieren. Das bis 2016 angelegte Projekt hat ein Volumen von fast acht Milliarden Dollar, wie Vize-Verteidigungsminister John Harvey mitteilte.

Nach mehr als zehn Jahren Unterfinanzierung seien nun bedeutende Investitionen im Atomwaffenbereich geplant, sagte Harvey, der im Pentagon für ABC-Programme zuständig ist, am Donnerstag auf dem Nuclear Deterrence Summit. "Wir haben in der Administration und im Kongress auf der höchsten Ebene eine bedeutende Unterstützung bekommen."

In den Jahren 2011 bis 2016 sollen laut Harvey insgesamt 7,9 Milliarden US-Dollar für diese Zwecke ausgegeben werden. Das Pentagon habe drei Jahre gebraucht, um die Finanzierung durchzusetzen. Dass das Geld bewilligt worden sei, sei dem Kongress zu verdanken.

Der Kongress hatte bei der Ratifizierung des jüngsten Atom-Abrüstungspakts mit Russland (START-3) von der US-Administration Garantien dafür gefordert, dass die amerikanische Atomwaffeninfrastruktur weiterhin genügend finanziert werde. Diese Klausel wurde in die Ratifizierungsresolution aufgenommen.
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