NUCLEARWAKEUPCALL.EARTH
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Here is an action program for the 10 Steps of the Nuclear Playbook.
The first five steps have been proposed and endorsed by top experts like former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry and many others, and put forth by Back from the Brink which is building a national coalition to prevent nuclear war. We are excited to endorse and align with Back from the Brink and to be part of this growing movement. See their advocacy tools to take immediate action on these critical five steps.
In Step 4 of The Nuclear Playbook, we go beyond recommending ways to de-fund the U.S. $1.7 trillion nuclear modernization program and support the Alternative Nuclear Posture Review by Blair, Sleight and Foley at Global Zero. It provides a comprehensive and credible roadmap for reductions in our nuclear arsenals that will create conditions to make the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons possible.
Steps 6-10 focus on urgent steps we need to take to reduce the nuclear risk, especially with regard to engagement and cooperation between the U.S. and Russia, the two countries with over 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons. Steps 11 - 17 are more ways you can help move towards a world without nuclear weapons.
1
RENOUNCE THE OPTION OF USING NUCLEAR WEAPONS FIRST
See H.R.921 and S.272 Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have introduced the bicameral No First Use Act to establish in law that it is the policy of the United States not to use nuclear weapons first.
END THE SOLE, UNCHECKED AUTHORITY OF ANY U.S. PRESIDENT— OR ANY ONE PERSON ANYWHERE—TO LAUNCH A NUCLEAR ATTACK
See H.R.669 and S.200 the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2019. Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Senator J. Edward Markey (D-MA) have sponsored legislation that would require the president to receive congressional approval before initiating a first-use nuclear strike from the United States.
AGREE TO TAKE NUCLEAR WEAPONS OFF HAIR-TRIGGER ALERT
Urge your elected representatives to introduce and adopt legislation to take nuclear weapons off high “hair-trigger” alert status.
CANCEL THE PLAN TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE U.S. ARSENAL WITH ENHANCED WEAPONS AND NEGOTIATE DEEP CUTS IN U.S. AND RUSSIAN ARSENALS
See H.R.1086 and S.401 Hold the Lyne (Low-Yield Nuclear Explosive) Act. Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) have sponsored legislation to prohibit the Department of Defense or the Department of Energy from using funds for the research and development, production, or deployment of the Trident D5 low-yield nuclear warhead.
See H.R.1231 and S.312 the Prevention of the Arms Race Act of 2019. Representative Lois Frankel (D-FL) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have sponsored legislation to restrict the appropriation of funds for the procurement, flight testing, or deployment of missiles banned by the Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF Treaty).
SUPPORT Global Zero’s Alternative Nuclear Posture Review
PURSUE A VERIFIABLE AGREEMENT AMONG NUCLEAR STATES TO ELIMINATE THEIR NUCLEAR ARSENALS
See H.R.54 Representative Donald s. Beyer (D-VA) has introduced a resolution “reaffirming the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States must lead the world in preventing further nuclear proliferation, while also reducing and eventually eliminating all nuclear weapons.”
Play your part to help realize the first four steps of The Nuclear Playbook. At the same time, call on your elected representatives to urge the U.S. to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and encourage all other countries to join this effort to move toward a safer world.
MAINTAIN A DIALOGUE ON NUCLEAR RISK REDUCTION WITH ALL NUCLEAR POWERS NO MATTER WHAT
Call on your elected representatives to reopen and maintain a dialogue with Russia and all nuclear powers on nuclear risk reduction at all times. We need to reopen all channels of communication on military and security issues and restart a dialogue on strategic stability with all nuclear powers including rules of the road for cyber weapons and other emerging technologies. We had one round of strategic stability talks with the Russians in 2017. We urgently need the next one.
REAFFIRM THE DECLARATION MADE BY BOTH REAGAN AND GORBACHEV:
“A NUCLEAR WAR CANNOT BE WON AND MUST NEVER BE FOUGHT”
Call on your elected representatives to urge the U.S. Administration to reaffirm this declaration as a recognition of our responsibility to work together with all nuclear powers to reduce the nuclear danger.
Call on leaders of Russia and all nuclear powers to affirm this declaration.
RESURRECT ARMS CONTROL
Call on your elected representatives to fix and preserve the INF Treaty and extend New START.
COOPERATE WITH RUSSIA AND OTHER STATES ON PREVENTING NUCLEAR AND CYBER TERRORISM—NO MATTER WHAT
Call on your elected representatives to continue and expand cooperation with Russia and other states to prevent nuclear and cyber terrorism.
COOPERATE ON NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION AND RATIFY THE COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR-TEST-BAN TREATY (CTBT)
Call on your elected representatives to urge the U.S. government to pursue multilateral negotiations with North Korea, return to a multilateral process for an agreement with Iran and ratify the THE COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR-TEST-BAN TREATY (CTBT)
PUT THE NUCLEAR PLAYBOOK IN THE HANDS
OF YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
Compel them to adopt all ten steps to reduce the nuclear risk and make our nuclear policy priority number one. We absolutely must stay active on climate change, gun violence, racial injustice, immigration, our deep disagreements in US-Russian relations and other pressing issues – but a nuclear catastrophe could blow everything and everyone we know out of our minds in an instant.
CALL FOR PUBLIC CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS
on the clear and present escalating nuclear danger. Call, write, meet with your congressional representatives to ensure that this happens.
EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT THE ESCALATING NUCLEAR DANGER
Act from an informed, factual picture of our highly weaponized world.
CATALYZE A NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON OUR NUCLEAR POLICY
Put the existential nuclear danger front and center in our public awareness. Talk to everyone you know – start conversations at your dinner table, in your boardroom, around your water cooler at work, in your community organizations, in your schools, universities, clubs, churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship. Interview your family, friends and neighbors. Ask them what they know about the nuclear threat and what they are doing about it.
ENCOURAGE THE JOURNALIST COMMUNITY TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION
and fulfill their ethical obligation to keep us informed at all times about the clear and present existential nuclear danger.
SUPPORT AND VOLUNTEER FOR ORGANIZATIONS OF YOUR CHOICE
like the Nuclear Threat Initiative, working at top political levels, the William J. Perry Project, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation that are providing excellent nuclear education, and organizations like Beyond the Bomb and ICAN who are working at grassroots levels.
ENGAGE IN CREATIVE FORMS OF CITIZEN DIPLOMACY
with the Russian people to transcend enemy stereotypes, reduce tensions and the nuclear risk, like we did in the 1980s. Our two countries have more than 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons and it is up to us to compel our leaders to change our nuclear policy and adopt The Nuclear Playbook so that we can survive our planet’s most dangerous time.