07 October 1999White House Fact Sheet: Reasons for Ratifying the CTBT
(Treaty ratification will provide a safe, reliable deterrent) (770) President Clinton is urging the Senate to give its advice and consent to ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) so that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime will be strengthened and the United States will continue to be in a position to lead the global non-proliferation effort. Following is the text of a White House fact sheet on the CTBT, issued on October 7: (begin text) QUESTION: How will the CTBT help maintain a safe and reliable nuclear deterrent? ANSWER: The United States will enter into a CTBT with a proven, well-tested nuclear stockpile. Past nuclear explosive testing has provided a rich database characterizing the operation of our weapons, and this database will serve as a benchmark for comparing, without nuclear explosive testing, the operation of our weapons in the future. We have instituted a rigorous and technically sophisticated program of stockpile stewardship, and we are confident that with this program we can maintain a safe and reliable nuclear stockpile without nuclear testing. The Treaty was carefully negotiated to ensure it would not prohibit activities we will carry out to maintain our deterrent. Moreover, the President has established concrete, specific safeguards that define the conditions under which the United States can enter into a CTBT. Q: How will the CTBT constrain the development of more advanced nuclear weapons by China and Russia? A: The CTBT's prohibition on nuclear explosive testing will have the practical effect of constraining China and Russia from developing with high confidence more advanced and more dangerous weapons. Q: How will the CTBT strengthen the NPT regime and the U.S. ability to lead the global non-proliferation effort? A: The nuclear weapon states' commitment at the 1995 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to conclude a CTBT in 1996 was instrumental in achieving the indefinite and unconditional extension of the NPT. U.S. ratification of the CTBT will make good on this commitment, thereby bolstering American leadership in the global diplomatic campaign to preserve and strengthen the NPT regime. U.S. ratification will also strengthen our efforts to promote additional steps to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Q: How will the CTBT constrain "rogue" states' nuclear weapons development and other states' nuclear capabilities? A: Even if rogue states were able to assemble sufficient nuclear material to produce a simple fission weapon without nuclear testing, the CTBT would force them to place confidence in an untested design (which military leaders might find unacceptable), as well as constrain any further improvements in nuclear weapon design. Other potential adherents with nuclear capabilities would, without direct foreign assistance or nuclear testing, lack confidence in the performance of sophisticated nuclear weapons beyond simple fission designs. Q: How will the CTBT improve the ability of the United States to detect and deter nuclear explosive testing? A: Detecting, identifying and attributing nuclear explosive testing is a high national security priority. The CTBT's global network of seismic, hydroacoustic, radionuclide and infrasound sensors will aid the United States' national capabilities to monitor nuclear explosive testing across the globe, as well as deter any nation from believing it can conduct a nuclear explosive test undetected by the international community. With the CTBT in force, the United States will gain a new tool to assess compliance with a ban on nuclear testing: the ability to request a short notice, on-site inspection of a suspicious event. Q: How will U.S. ratification of the CTBT encourage additional ratifications? A: U.S. ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention facilitated ratification by Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran. In the same way, U.S. ratification of the CTBT will encourage ratification by other states. Q: How will CTBT ratification by the United States and others constrain non-signatories from conducting nuclear tests? A: Ratification of the CTBT by the United States and the vast majority of the international community will strengthen the international norm against nuclear testing, and thus help to support the efforts of the international community to gain universal adherence to the Treaty. Q: What kind of support does the Treaty have in the United States? A: The CTBT has the unanimous support of the administration's security team. It has been endorsed by prominent military and foreign policy experts, including four former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from the Reagan, Bush and Clinton administrations. It has the support of numerous scientific, environmental, and religious leaders. A July 1999 poll found that 82 % of Americans, regardless of their political affiliation, favor prompt CTBT ratification by the United States. (end text)