PRESS RELEASE

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Ten Senators Call on Obama To Cancel Nuclear Cruise Missile; Adopt a ‘No-First-Use’ Policy for Nuclear Arms

July 22, 2016 (EIRNS)—A group of ten U.S. Senators has written to President Obama calling on him to cancel the Long Range Stand Off [LRSO] cruise missile program. In short, they say, the $20 billion price tag is too expensive and it’s unnecessary. The signers, all Democrats, include Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer of California, Al Franken of Minnesota, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Ron Wyden of Oregon, and Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

The letter also calls on Obama to officially adopt a policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons, something the United States has traditionally been unwilling to do, and to take U.S. nuclear forces off of launch-on-warning posture.

"In light of our unmatched conventional military capabilities, we do not need to rely on the threat of nuclear first-use to deter non-nuclear attacks on our homeland or our allies,"

he authors wrote.

"By adopting a policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons, the United States could reduce the risk of accidental nuclear conflict while deterring both conventional and nuclear threats to our security."