Senate Should Uphold Reagan’s Vision on Arms Control

Owen Graham / January 30, 2010

During his State of the Union Speech President Obama underscored his goal of “getting to zero” nuclear weapons by citing Ronald Reagan’s aspirations for a world without nuclear weapons:

I have embraced the vision of John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan through a strategy that reverses the spread of these weapons, and seeks a world without them.

With all due respect, this statement was misleading and disingenuous. Ronald Reagan’s long-term vision of a world without nuclear weapons presupposed a robust missile defense—the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)—that would render offensive nuclear weapons directed at the U.S. obsolete. Reagan’s world view was buttressed by confidence in America’s leading role in the world. As such, Reagan always dealt with the Soviet Union from a position of strength. This included a robust nuclear modernization program, including the B-1 and B-2 bombers, filling out the Trident submarine fleet and its Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBMs) and the MX or Peacekeeper missile. (more…)