What changes in nuclear policy are to be expected with the new administration in Washington?
For background on Barack Obama’s appointment of Steven Chu as Secretary of Energy and the re-appointment of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, see the article “Two Nuclear Appointments” in the January 2009 issue of Citizen’s Watch…, the newsletter of NDE ally Tri-Valley CAREs in Livermore, California. Their “Lame Duck Watch” article on page 4 also explains what steps the Bush administration has taken to legally bind the new administration to “revitalize and rebuild the nuclear weapons complex.” The Stockpile Stewardship Program was established in response to the Fiscal Year 1994 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 103-160), which requires, in the absence of nuclear testing, a program to: • Support a focused, multifaceted program to increase the understanding of the enduring stockpile; • Predict, detect, and evaluate potential problems of the aging of the stockpile; • Refurbish and re-manufacture weapons and components, as required; and • Maintain the science and engineerin
