St. Joseph Church
Bristol, Connecticut

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti
Pastoral Minister

The United States Senate is about to make a decision that would reveal that U.S. nuclear forces do not exist simply to provide a deterrent to nuclear war. An amendment to the pending Defense Authorization Act for 2001 would lead to the development of a new nuclear weapon designed for war fighting.

The new weapon will be a low-yield device that will have the ability to penetrate into the earth before detonation. This new weapon will be used for penetrating into deeply buried underground bunkers. This new weapon is an attempt to do and "end run" around the problem of large nuclear weapons that cannot be used with an advantage to the initiator of nuclear war. The smaller weapon is designed to mimic the effects of larger conventional weapons but to have the energy effects of nuclear weapons. Movement in this direction raises the issue of eroding the "nuclear firebreak" that separates nuclear from conventional warfare. Such weapons raise the real possibility that nuclear weapons will be used if it is believed that these new weapons will allow for reduced risk of all out nuclear war. The Pentagon believes that such a weapon will allow for greater control over escalation. Hence, the United States will be able to have "escalation dominance" in any military confrontation.

The Senate’s action seems to be a throwback to the days the Cold War when the United States and the Soviet Union were constantly preparing to fight and try to prevail in a nuclear war. This desire to field a new nuclear weapon is also a repudiation of the solemn pledge the United States made in May at the Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York. The United States, Britain, France, China and Russia joined in a commitment to accomplish total elimination of nuclear arsenals, leading to nuclear disarmament.

The desire to develop this new weapon is evidence that the United States is committed to the maintaining its nuclear force well into the 21^st century. Such a posture will undoubtedly lead to a rejection of serious nuclear disarmament among the newest declared nuclear powers, India and Pakistan, and those aspiring nuclear nations like Iraq, Iran, North Korea and Libya.

Authoritative sources revealed that the U.S. has expanded the list of worldwide targets planned for destruction under the new nuclear doctrine of the U.S. Such actions seem inconsistent with any serious movement toward total elimination of nuclear weapons.

Compiled by Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.
Created 8/23/1998