Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will meet with President Obama on Monday to start finalizing the new nuclear policy of the United States. According to senior aides, the revised approach will permanently reduce the current stockpile and commit the United States to developing no new nuclear weapons while allocating billions of dollars towards research and development of non-nuclear weapons. The updated arsenal will rely heavily on missile defense systems with capabilities to reach any target around the world in less than an hour.
However, before finalizing the new policy, President Obama will need to determine the purpose of the remaining nuclear arsenal – whether it will be used solely or primarily to deter a nuclear attack. Nonetheless, the new policy will be a striking move away from the Bush administration’s rejection of nuclear nonproliferation policies.
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