The U.S. Will Not Give Up Preemptive Strikes
Published in Argenpress
(Argentina) on 4 March 2010
by Argenpress (link to original)
President of the United States Barack Obama seeks to combine the right to engage in pre-emptive nuclear attacks with the development of new conventional weapons in his latest military doctrine, reports the Russian newspaper Kommersant.
The American leader recently rejected the initial draft of the new doctrine because it implied giving up the right to strike first. Obama, winner of the Nobel Prize in 2009 for his global nuclear disarmament plan, now wishes to maintain this right.
Consequently, the approval of the doctrine that the Pentagon has been working on for almost a year has been postponed for another month.
According to the draft, Washington will rely on conventional weapons and plans, among other things, to deploy an anti-missile shield in the Persian Gulf area.
It advocates the development of new conventional missiles, called "Prompt Global Strike," capable of reaching a target anywhere in the world in less than an hour.
According to the sources of Kommersant, the launch platforms of these missiles will be positioned in the United States and will allow visits from international inspectors, including Russian inspectors, who will ensure that the missiles do not carry nuclear loads.
The American military stressed that the new weapons would enable attacks on Al-Qaeda bases in Afghanistan or would prevent the launch of a North Korean missile as well as having the same deterrent effect as nuclear weapons but without the disastrous consequences.
Nevertheless, experts consulted by the newspaper advised that the American president will have to explain why his country continues to carry nuclear weapons.
Indeed, as Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association, cautioned: "any declaration deterring a nuclear attack is a ‘primary objective’ of [the American] military but leaves open the possibility that there are other purposes."*
*Editor’s Note: Quote is in translation; original could not be located
The American leader recently rejected the initial draft of the new doctrine because it implied giving up the right to strike first. Obama, winner of the Nobel Prize in 2009 for his global nuclear disarmament plan, now wishes to maintain this right.
Consequently, the approval of the doctrine that the Pentagon has been working on for almost a year has been postponed for another month.
According to the draft, Washington will rely on conventional weapons and plans, among other things, to deploy an anti-missile shield in the Persian Gulf area.
It advocates the development of new conventional missiles, called "Prompt Global Strike," capable of reaching a target anywhere in the world in less than an hour.
According to the sources of Kommersant, the launch platforms of these missiles will be positioned in the United States and will allow visits from international inspectors, including Russian inspectors, who will ensure that the missiles do not carry nuclear loads.
The American military stressed that the new weapons would enable attacks on Al-Qaeda bases in Afghanistan or would prevent the launch of a North Korean missile as well as having the same deterrent effect as nuclear weapons but without the disastrous consequences.
Nevertheless, experts consulted by the newspaper advised that the American president will have to explain why his country continues to carry nuclear weapons.
Indeed, as Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association, cautioned: "any declaration deterring a nuclear attack is a ‘primary objective’ of [the American] military but leaves open the possibility that there are other purposes."*
*Editor’s Note: Quote is in translation; original could not be located