Press Release by Veterans for Peace
Veterans For Peace has issued an Open Letter to President Biden, requesting that he take a look at their Nuclear Posture Review before issuing his own. The letter, prompted by the escalating war in Ukraine and the growing possibility of nuclear war, reads in part:
- Dear President Biden,
- We, members of Veterans For Peace who are concerned about the growing possibility of nuclear war, have researched and written our own Nuclear Posture Review, with the goal of reducing the risk of nuclear war and ultimately eliminating all nuclear weapons. Because your own Nuclear Posture Review has not yet been released, we strongly encourage you to put it on hold while you review the Nuclear Posture Review of Veterans For Peace.
- The war in Ukraine, with its relentless escalation toward a possible nuclear confrontation, is of great concern to the American public, including those in uniform and veterans who have experienced the chaos and trauma of war; so we are also eager to see your Nuclear Posture Review, Mr. President. We deserve a full accounting of your nuclear planning. We want to know what you and your advisers consider reasonable during this time of confrontation between the US and Russia, which between them hold the lion’s share of the world’s 15,000 nuclear weapons.
- The Veterans For Peace Nuclear Posture Review is attached to this letter. The product of many months of research and writing, our Nuclear Posture Review is a blueprint for a world of peace and cooperation – a world that uses its precious resources for global uplift rather than mutual annihilation.
- We request that you issue a statement that your Nuclear Posture Review is on hold while you review the Nuclear Posture Review developed by concerned U.S. veterans. We look forward to seeing your own Nuclear Posture Review before long, Mr. President. It is important that all humanity will be able to see: Is the president of the United States working to reduce the risk of nuclear war? Or is U.S. nuclear policy being dictated by those who profit from war? We deserve an answer.
The veterans’ letter also calls on President Biden to forswear the first use of nuclear weapons and take them off hair-trigger alert, to re-enter the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM} and Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaties, and to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
“These are not pie-in-the-sky ideas,” said Veterans For Peace president Susan Schnall. “They are well-developed proposals from nuclear disarmament experts. It is our deep hope that President Biden will take our approach to heart, for the benefit of our country and of all humanity worldwide.”
Veterans For Peace is a global organization of Military Veterans and allies whose collective efforts are to build a culture of peace by using our experiences and lifting our voices. We inform the public of the true causes of war and the enormous costs of wars, with an obligation to heal the wounds of wars. Our network is comprised of over 140 chapters worldwide whose work includes: educating the public, advocating for a dismantling of the war economy, providing services that assist veterans and victims of war, and most significantly, working to end all wars.
This press release by Veterans for Peace was made on Thursday , August 11, 2022, Veterans for Peace. It was also published on August 11 at Common Dreams.