In a surprise move this week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the government would release the information on the number of nuclear weapons the United States possesses, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates revealed the exact number, 5,113, at the beginning of the UN Conference on reviewing the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty.
On first thought, one might think why is it that we are being told the exact number, and then the thought why do we need that many nuclear weapons in the first place?
When we discover that the number of nuclear weapons have been in constant decline since the all time high in 1967 when we had 31,255 nuclear warheads, and that therefore, there has been a drop of 84 percent in the past 43 years and 75 percent since the end of the Cold War, we can feel good. But then why do we need even 5,113 weapons to defend ourselves?
The purpose of the revelation of these numbers of nuclear weapons is to encourage other nations to cut down their nuclear stockpile, and prevent other nations from moving toward a nuclear arms race.
The hope is that eventually the danger of nuclear war can be overcome by the complete elimination of nuclear weapons by negotiation and verification means and trust among nations, so that the age of nuclear threat, now 65 years, can finally be scrapped and make life on this earth a lot safer and more secure!
Of course, it is certain that the right wing conservatives and the defense establishment will wish to continue to promote fear and hysteria to prevent what most sane Americans want–a world safer than when they were born! So the battle for peace continues with no easy resolution!