By Joseph Wasserman
The Unites States and Russia both have nuclear missiles on hair trigger alert, leaving a very brief window of minutes to decide if a warning is a false alarm or an oncoming attack. All of us should be aware of the many false alarms that could have resulted in the end of civilization. I give only a few examples below
In 1979, a training tape mistakenly inserted, put US command on high alert.
Pope Leo has spoken about a failure in the Soviet warning system in 1983, at a time of very high tension between the US and the Soviet Union. The world was saved by the good judgment of the Soviet officer on duty at the time.
In 1995 the Russians mistook a weather satellite for an oncoming attack. The nuclear briefcase was opened.
In 2007 there was a disturbing case of six live nuclear weapons that went missing for 36 hours.
In 2010, launch control center lost contact with nuclear missiles, for nearly an hour, at a time of high alert.
The longer nuclear weapons are around, the greater chance they will be used accidentally or intentionally. There are too many conflicts around the world, that could too easily spin out of control. I thank Representatives Larson, Delauro and Hayes for cosponsoring H. Res 317 , to bring the world away from the brink of nuclear war. I urge Senators Murphy and Blumenthal to cosponsor S. Res 323, to halt and reverse the nuclear arms race. Please call our Senators!
