The United States spent no less than $52.4 billion on nuclear weapon-related activities in fiscal 2008, only one-tenth of which was devoted to nonproliferation and threat reduction programs, according to a report released today by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The rest was spent on U.S. weapon systems, missile defense, managing the environmental and health legacy of U.S. nuclear programs and preparing for nuclear catastrophes.
U.S. nuclear spending figures are not routinely assembled by budget makers, said report authors Stephen Schwartz and Deepti Choubey, who urged Congress to require the president to provide such data annually so that lawmakers can better understand the implications of U.S. nuclear costs.
The $52.4 billion, for example, surpasses all U.S. spending on diplomacy and international assistance, and the $5.2 billion of nuclear-related outlays that go toward threat reduction programs signals unfortunate U.S. priorities.
"This disparity sends a message to the rest of the world that the United States considers preserving and enhancing its nuclear options more important than preventing nuclear proliferation," the report says.
Nuclear Security Spending: Assessing Costs, Examining Priorities says nonproliferation and threat reduction measures should receive more budgetary support.
"Such efforts ... are more cost-effective than technology-driven efforts such as missile defenses, and can be implemented quickly and at a relatively modest cost to ensure significant security gains today and in the future," it says (Carnegie Endowment release, Jan. 12).