This week, we start our study in the introduction to learning about Regulatory Issues in
Weapons of Mass Destruction. Through this week’s lesson, we learn of the history behind
primary internal Federal Regulatory efforts. President Clinton in 1994 signed the executive order
12938 which stated, “the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons [weapons of
mass destruction] and of the means of delivering such weapons, constitutes an unusual and
extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States
and hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat” (Office of the President of the
United States, 1994). It is interesting to think about the impact that the United States had when
we dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. One of the treaties that was made in
efforts against nuclear weapons was the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which was signed in 1972
between the United States and the Soviet Union in efforts to limit anti-ballistic missile systems
used in ballistic-missile nuclear delivered weapons (Treaties & Agreements, n.d.). The United
States though withdrew from this treaty under President George W Bush in 2002 (Treaties &
Agreements, n.d.). The United States and Russia came into an agreement on the New Strategic
Arms Reduction Treaty in 2011, which sets limits on strategic arms and how each nation reduces
Strategic Offensive Arms (Treaties & Agreements, n.d.). The Department of Homeland Security
has the Directive7 which is a national policy for the federal departments and agencies to
prioritize critical infrastructure with efforts in protection from terror attacks (DHS, 2015).
Another powerful milestone that was done in 1968 was the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
which was a major deal between many nations that had nuclear and others who didn’t carry
nuclear weapons to prohibit the spread of large advancement in nuclear weapons, it was not
purposed to stop nuclear weapons though (Office of the Historian, n.d.). In conclusion, the United States has quite a history behind coming against the spread of nuclear weapons. The United States has seen multiple agreements with Russia on decreasing the amount of nuclear weapons. While countries may never fully discard their nuclear weapons, the least the better.
References
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7:. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-presidential-directive-7
Milestones: 1961–1968 - Office of the Historian. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/npt
Office of the President of the United States. (1994). Executive Order 12938; Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Washington, D.C.
Treaties & Agreements | Arms Control Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from https://www.armscontrol.org/treaties
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