The Nuclear Threat Initiative, led by former Sen. Sam Nunn and former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, issued a statement yesterday welcoming the P5 joint statement and calling for the five powers to follow the statement with action. “In particular, we applaud their affirmation that ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,’” they said. “Today’s clear and direct statement represents the first time all five of the world’s recognized nuclear-weapon states under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) have together affirmed this fundamental principle, establishing an important foundation for reinvigorated efforts to reduce the risk of nuclear conflict.”
Nunn and Moniz called on the leaders of the five powers to issue instructions to their governments to take concrete steps to such ends. The steps they called for include strengthening safeguards to prevent unauthorized or accidental use of nuclear weapons; expanding and deepening dialogue on risk reduction in bilateral and multilateral channels; reducing the role of nuclear weapons in national security doctrines and postures; and seeking further arms reductions, including through a successor to the New START arms-reduction treaty.
