Titan II nuclear missile in its Cold War silo.

This year is one of the biggest opportunities we’ve had since the end of the Cold War to make significant progress toward a nuclear weapons free world. Maintaining the status quo of more than 23,000 nuclear weapons worldwide is just too dangerous; so many weapons around the world increase the risk of an accidental launch with deadly consequences for hundreds of thousands of people. A quick look at the calendar confirms that 2010 will be a pivotal year:

• New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) announced and Senate debate over US ratification (January estimate)

• Fiscal Year 2011 Budget released (February)

• Nuclear Posture Review released (March 1 estimate)

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal published an opinion editorial by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) entitled “Why We Need to Test Nuclear Weapons.” If the title makes you grind your teeth, just wait until you read the whole piece, which ignores reality and spouts misleading statements about the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Sen. Kyl, we’ve had a moratorium on nuclear weapons testing since the early 1990s, and the public is just not going to support a return to nuclear testing. Ever.

For a well-reasoned explanation of why the US should ratify the CTBT, check out this OpEd from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace:

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has a good primer video on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty explaining what the treaty is and how US ratification of the treaty would enhance our national security. Click here to check it out!

Clinton at the conference on the CTBT.

It’s been awhile. This week, Sec. of State Clinton lead the US delegation as we attended our first conference in 10 years on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. And the international community took notice:

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon mentioned Clinton while praising the United States, stating, “The participation of the United States led by Secretary of State Clinton for the first time demonstrates the commitment of the United States to work toward its ratification of the treaty.”

President Obama has repeatedly emphasized his commitment to seeking US ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treay to ban nuclear test explosions. However, it will be a tough climb in the Senate, where the support of 67 Senators will be needed for ratification of the treaty. Why is the administration willing to work for this treaty? Clinton said it well:

The US-drafted UN Resolution 1887 on non-proliferation and disarmament passed unanimously today at the Security Council meeting chaired by President Obama. In attendance were the heads-of-state for fourteen nations, the UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and a high level diplomat from Libya as well as some celebrity observers.  The passage of this resolution demonstrates great political will to address the dangers of nuclear weapons proliferation, a new era of American engagement, and a belief in multilateral institutions such as the UN to get things done.  This meeting also demonstrates a follow through by President Obama and his administration about his vision in Prague this spring of a nuclear weapons free world.