“There are nine countries in the world that have nuclear weapons. There are about 27,000 nuclear weapons total on the planet. The countries that have nuclear weapons deploy them ready for use and have doctrines saying that they would use them in certain circumstances.” WorldCountryUseCertainPlanetsReadyCircumstancesWeaponsNuclearNineDoctrineNuclear Weapons Author:John Burroughs
“So the idea about how detonation of a nuclear weapon might happen vary, you know - some people are especially concerned about terrorists getting their hands on nuclear weapons and using them. Some people are worried that there might be a nuclear war between India and Pakistan. Some think the Middle East, were Israel already has nuclear weapons and where other countries may be interested at some point and acquiring them, might be a flash point.” PeopleThinkingKnowsMayIdeasWarCountryHandsMightHappensMiddleWeaponsConcernedIndiaIsraelEastNuclearTerroristWorriedMiddle EastNuclear WeaponsFlashOther CountriesPakistanVaryNuclear WarIndia And Pakistan Author:John Burroughs
“The thing that I focus on because I don't think it gets enough attention is that among the world's major powers, there is still a nuclear balance of terror - I'm talking about between the United States and Russia, the United States and China.” ThinkingWorldStillsStatesEnoughUnitedAttentionTalkingUnited StatesFocusBalanceMajorsTerrorChinaNuclearRussia Author:John Burroughs
“In fact, the United States is building up its trident nuclear sub fleet in the Pacific, based at Bangor, Washington to build up its capabilities to wage nuclear war.” WarStatesFactsUnitedUnited StatesBuildingNuclearCapabilityPacificNuclear WarBuilding Up Author:John Burroughs
“We've been in a period of relative stability and cooperation since the end of the Cold War among the world's major powers, but that may not always exist. And certainly one could even predict that there will be periods of hostility or tension ahead.” WorldMayWarEndsColdPeriodsMajorsTensionCooperationStabilityRelativeCold WarHostility Author:John Burroughs
“There tends to be this comfortable assumption that nuclear weapons won't be used, but I don't think that's warranted, and I think we should seize the opportunity of this time of stability and cooperation and move towards global elimination of nuclear weapons as indeed people like Henry Kissinger, and William Perry, former Secretary of Defense under Clinton, and Sam Nunn, former Senator, and George Schultz, former Undersecretary of State for Ronald Reagan. All of them recently called for achievement of a nuclear weapon-free world.” PeopleThinkingWorldShouldStatesMovingUsedOpportunityAchievementComfortableWeaponsClintonDefenseNuclearFormerAssumptionCooperationStabilityNuclear WeaponsSecretarySenatorsEliminationFree WorldSeize The OpportunityKissingerHenry Kissinger Author:John Burroughs
“Unfortunately, nuclear weapons have become identified with state power.” StatesWeaponsNuclearNuclear Weapons Author:John Burroughs
“Certainly in the United States, you have a constituency in the form of the weapons laboratories, and you also have the branches of the armed services that are involved with nuclear weapons deployment, especially the naval submarine operations and also the air force's land-based ICBM operations. So they have a big lobby in Washington.” StatesBigsFormForceUnitedUnited StatesAirLandInvolvedWeaponsNuclearOperationsBranchesNuclear WeaponsLaboratoryAir ForceNavalDeploymentSubmarinesArmed Services Author:John Burroughs
“The budget for nuclear forces in the United States is on the order of $25 billion or so. That includes warheads, delivery systems, command and control; does not include environmental clean-up, which is another maybe $10 billion or so. So that's about 5% of the U.S. military budget.” DoeStatesOrderForceUnitedUnited StatesMilitaryCleanEnvironmentalNuclearBillionsCommandBudgetsDeliveryMilitary BudgetCommand And Control Author:John Burroughs
“It doesn't seem to be that huge a commitment that would create, you know, some kind of really powerful constituency. But the history has been for the United States and Russia especially that nuclear weapons have kind of become part of the identity of the countries.” KnowsKindHas BeensCountryStatesSeemsUnitedPowerfulUnited StatesIdentityHugeWeaponsCommitmentNuclearRussiaNuclear WeaponsReally Powerful Author:John Burroughs