St. Joseph Church
Bristol, Connecticut

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D.Min.
Pastoral Minister

Forgotten Not Gone!

The year 2000 finds the United States once again in the thick of a presidential campaign. This campaign year provides the people of the United States with an opportunity to direct the concern of the candidates toward a problem that is forgotten but not gone. I refer to the problem of the existence of 30,000 to 37,000 nuclear weapons that still exist on our planet. What’s more, there are still thousands of these weapons poised on hair-trigger alert status in the United States and Russia. At this time in history we have an opportunity to make the world a safer place by moving to de-alert these weapons so as to avoid nuclear war by miscalculation, misinterpretation of another nation’s actions or malfunction of equipment.

In the early days of his presidency U.S. President Bill Clinton announced that Russia and the United States had "de-targeted" their weapons so that both sides no longer had their missiles pointed at each other. This was a positive but largely cosmetic development because both sides can quickly retarget their missiles within a few minutes. Furthermore, should a Russian missile launch by accident the missile would automatically refer back to its old program and proceed to its Cold War target in the United States. The deteriorating condition of Russian radar systems, fail-safe systems and the uncertainty surrounding the stability of the Russian government requires quick and effective action to avoid accidental launch of Russian missiles by securing a "de-alerting" agreement between Russia and the United States.

The calls to de-alert missiles have come from many that were once members of the nuclear system. This is reflected in the recommendations of the Canberra Commission of 1996, and later by the International Generals and Admirals statement in 1997. Such an action is in the interests of all nations, especially the United States and Russia. Both nuclear superpowers have had a history of false alarms that became dangerously close to initiating nuclear war. The most recent and most dangerous incident since the end of the Cold War occurred in 1995. Russian radar interpreted a Norwegian rocket to be an U.S. Trident submarine launched missile heading toward Russia. Russian President Boris Yeltsin. For the first time in Russian history, ordered the activation of his portable launch control briefcase that could order the launch of Russian nuclear forces. With only minutes to make a decision during the situation Yeltsin was notified with three minutes to spare that the rocket was not heading toward Russia and that it was not an U.S. Trident missile.

Such an incident in the post Cold War world highlights the need to remove nuclear forces from their present hair-trigger alert status. This must be done to avoid future false alarms, to effectively address the dangers of the deteriorating early warning radar system of Russia and the aging circuitry of their nuclear systems. The elimination of the

First-strike nuclear threat of the nuclear nations and, nuclear war by accident, are positive outcomes of a "de-alerting" agreement. Furthermore, the movement away from nuclear dependence by the large nuclear powers will add credibility to the non-proliferation efforts of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

There are a number of steps that can be taken to remove these weapons from their hair-trigger configuration. Some of the steps that could be taken are as follows:

+ Store warheads separately from their delivery systems;

+ Pin open the switches used to fire missile motors;

+ Remove the pneumatic mechanisms that open missile silo covers;

+ Remove the guidance systems of missiles;

+ Cover land-based missile silos with large mounds of dirt that would have to be removed before a missile could be fired;

+ Remove the tritium bottles from warheads. This reduces the explosive powers of the warheads and makes them less attractive for first strike use.

De-alerting is not arms reduction but it is a measure that can better ensure that the lengthy process of arms reductions can go on without the continued dangers cited above. Such an agreement will also contribute to confidence building and security enhancing measures that will aid in the arms reduction process between the United States and Russia and the other nuclear powers.

This election year offers us this opportunity to continue to move away from the nuclear peril that has plagued us since 1945. As a Christian, the existence of these weapons and the threat they pose to humanity and the environment is morally repugnant. While one can recognize that this peril will not be ended overnight, one cannot refuse to grapple with it since it threatens to hurl creation back into chaos. This is not consistent with the God that I believe raised Jesus from the dead. This is a God of transformation not annihilation. Whatever steps can be taken must be taken. So as we continue through this campaign season let us seize the moment to address the nuclear peril by making it a priority the next president of the United States and all members of this nation. Such action may be one of the greatest gifts we give to future generations and ourselves to come.

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.
Pastoral Minister, St. Joseph Church
Bristol, Ct. 06010]

Serve as research asst. for SANE/Freeze at the United Nations 1989-90 for disarmament. Also served as Chair for the Justice and Peace Commission for the Archdiocese of Hartford, 1994-1995. Member of the Arms Control Association and Pax Christi, USA.

Compiled by Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.
Created 9/29/2000