Dear Friends,
A group of youth from St. Leo Church in Tacoma led a vigil at the Bangor Trident nuclear submarine base on April 14th in witness against nuclear weapons. You can watch a video of the day below (with thanks to videographer Rodney Herold), and read an article about their vigil in the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) written by Julie Gunter: Washington youth pair anti-nuclear action with Scottish protests.
The NCR article quotes (among others) Bill Bichsel who laments the state of the world that current and previous generations have created for the young people and future generations, and says ”My generation, and the generation following, have left so much violence, so many systems of exploitation, to our young people,” he said. “I believe we have the obligation to let them know we’ve made mistakes, and help give them the strength to resist what we didn’t have the strength to resist.”
With gratitude to these young people, and their strength and courage, AND for models like Bix and others who show the way (to PEACE).
Peace,
Leonard
*******************
Quotable
Friday, May 10, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
News Flash!!! Youth Witness Against Trident at Bangor Base
Yesterday (Sunday, April 14th) a contingent of young people led a vigil at the Bangor Trident nuclear submarine/weapons base in witness against the scourge of nuclear weapons. They were also showing solidarity with activists in Scotland who, on the same day, held an action at Faslane, the UK's Trident sub base.
During the vigil the young people held a Skype call with the activists at Faslane. George Rodkey said, "Skyping the Scots was great! We even sang 'We Shall Overcome' in unison, over skype, across the world to each other!"
We'll have more to share later on yesterday's vigil. For now, here are a few photos (with thanks to George Rodkey). More details about the vigil in the earlier announcement.
During the vigil the young people held a Skype call with the activists at Faslane. George Rodkey said, "Skyping the Scots was great! We even sang 'We Shall Overcome' in unison, over skype, across the world to each other!"
We'll have more to share later on yesterday's vigil. For now, here are a few photos (with thanks to George Rodkey). More details about the vigil in the earlier announcement.
 |
| Reading the Pledge of Nonviolence at Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action before walking to the Bangor gate. |
 |
| Vigiling at the Bangor Trident submarine base Main Gate |
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Japanese visit Bangor as part of "Extended Deterrence Dialogue"
Nuclear deterrence is alive and well at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Silverdale, Washington. The Bangor base showcased its capabilities to Japanese officials who are currently a bit uneasy about what crazy stunt North Korea might pull any day now. Officials at Bangor assured the Japanese that "US extended deterrence continues to be credible, capable and enduring." It must make the Japanese feel much less jittery knowing that (God forbid) should the North Koreans launch anything remotely resembling a nuclear attack the US would reduce North Korea to a pile of cinders, while rendering surrounding nations (including Japan) to radioactive wastelands (think Fukushima on Steroids). Read more in the AFP article below.
###
US, Japan review nuclear 'deterrence' amid Korea crisis
WASHINGTON — The United States reaffirmed Friday a longstanding commitment to protect Japan through nuclear "deterrence" after talks that coincided with mounting threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.
The three days of discussions between US and Japanese diplomats and defense officials focused on "maintaining a credible deterrence posture in a changing security environment," said a Pentagon statement.
The meeting, part of what the Defense Department called a biannual "extended deterrence dialogue," was held at Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state.
Japanese officials were given tours of a naval submarine and Trident missile facilities, which form part of America's nuclear arsenal.
The talks are designed to make "clear to our allies that US extended deterrence continues to be credible, capable and enduring," the statement said.
As North Korea has progressed in its nuclear weapons program, South Korea and Japan have weighed developing their own capability but US officials have sought to reassure their allies that the American "triad" of nuclear-armed bombers, submarines and land-based missiles can counter potential threats.
The Pentagon statement made no explicit reference to North Korea.
Japan, meanwhile, vowed it would respond to "any scenario" after a threat by North Korea that Tokyo would be "consumed in nuclear flames."
North Korea is widely expected to launch medium-range missiles off its east coast in the run-up to April 15 national celebrations, in defiance of UN resolutions and international warnings.
Japan, the only country ever to have suffered a nuclear attack, has ordered its forces to shoot down any North Korean missile headed toward its territory.
Along with US military forces in the region, Japan and South Korea have bolstered missile defenses to prepare for a possible North Korean launch.
Copyright © 2013 AFP. All rights reserved..Source URL: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/16711353/us-japan-review-nuclear-deterrence-amid-korea-crisis/
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Youth-Led Vigil this Sunday at Bangor Nuclear Weapons Base
Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action (in Poulsbo, Washington) welcomes all who come with nonviolent spirit to build a better world.
This Sunday, April 14th, Ground Zero welcomes young people from St. Leo Church, Tacoma (and other young people who will join them) who will hold an afternoon vigil at the Bangor Trident submarine and nuclear weapons base in Silverdale, Washington.
The Bangor Base, officially known as Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor and Strategic Weapons Facility, Pacific, is home to the largest operational concentration of nuclear weapons in the U.S. nuclear arsenal (and quite possibly the entire world). The Trident submarines deployed from Bangor patrol the seas prepared (24 hours a day, seven days a week) to launch their missiles armed with thermonuclear warheads at the President's command.
This group of young people - junior high and high school students, and Jesuit Volunteers - has come together on its own to plan an event at the Bangor Trident submarine base in witness to the immorality of nuclear weapons and the continuing threat of use of these horrific weapons of mass destruction.
Individuals from Ground Zero are volunteering (as Peacekeepers, etc.) to assist these young people. Participants will gather at Ground Zero this Sunday (April 14th) by 1:00PM. At approximately 1:15PM, after an opening circle, they will walk down to the Bangor sub base Main Gate where they will hold their vigil in witness against nuclear weapons. The young people will lead those assembled in songs and prayers. After the vigil they will walk back to Ground Zero for a closing circle and reflection. Note: They are NOT planning any sort of action (i.e., risking arrest); this will be a vigil only event, and of course strictly in the spirit and practice of nonviolence).
They are holding this Sunday's vigil in global solidarity with "SCRAP TRIDENT: WEEKEND OF PROTEST AND ACTION" held by Faslane Peace Camp at the UK's Faslane Submarine Base in Scotland. Faslane is the home port of the UK's nuclear ballistic missile submarine fleet that carries the same Trident II D-5 ballistic missiles (armed with thermonuclear warheads) that are deployed on US Trident submarines.
All are welcome (young and old and everyone in between) to join this youth-led vigil. Bring your non-violent spirit and your walking shoes. It is a short (approximately 10 minute) walk from Ground Zero to the Bangor Main Gate.
Directions to Ground Zero at our Website. For more information on Sunday's event please send an email to Eli Rodkey.
Please join in supporting these young people in their commitment to nonviolence and a nuclear weapons free world.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Trident Replacement: "Essential Investment"... or Omnicide?
From the Editor: The Navy is pushing hard to build 12 new ballistic missile submarines that will sail into the end of this century, loaded with missiles armed with thermonuclear warheads. Should the unspeakable ever happen - and continuing deployment of Trident increases that probability - the devastating humanitarian consequences would be beyond imagination.
In the article below, Rear Adm. Bruner creates an argument that attempts to place the subject of disarmament securely in a coffin and start nailing the lid shut:
"As long as nuclear weapons remain in the hands of potential adversaries, our nuclear forces must provide a safe, secure and credible deterrent to prevent the United. States, our allies and partners from being coerced by the threat of nuclear attack."
Should those in government who are responsible for carrying out our nation's responsibilities under our treaty (and other) obligations accept this argument at face value we are all doomed to the inevitability of nuclear war and the subsequent end of civilization as we know it
Our nation's continuing deployment and associated threat of use of nuclear weapons does not keep our nation or any other nation safe or secure, and only increases proliferation and the risk of nuclear war.
Our inescapable task is to either move beyond the Cold War thinking that led to the development of the Trident nuclear weapons system in the first place, or continue to cut away at the fraying cord by which hangs the nuclear Sword of Damocles that threatens humanity.
There is NO military solution to the issue of nuclear weapons. Moving the world toward disarmament will require a major paradigm shift, and that will require massive citizen engagement of this issue to counter arguments such as Rear Adm. Bruner's.
Is the replacement of Ohio class submarines an "essential investment" or Assured Omnicide???
###
Ohio Replacement Class SSBNs an Essential Investment
By Rear Adm. Barry L. Bruner
Director, Undersea Warfare Division (N97)
(originally published at NAVY LIVE: The Official Blog of the United States Navy, March 19, 2003, http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2013/03/19/ohio-replacement-class-ssbns-an-essential-investment/)
As our nation debates future defense spending, a healthy dialogue concerning future capabilities, size and value of the nation’s nuclear weapons and the Navy’s ballistic missile submarine force continues to grow. As long as nuclear weapons remain in the hands of potential adversaries, our nuclear forces must provide a safe, secure and credible deterrent to prevent the United States, our allies and partners from being coerced by the threat of nuclear attack. As part of this credible deterrent, the Navy’s continuous at-sea deployment of SSBNs provides the ability to mount an assured response and impose unacceptable costs on potential adversaries.
The current SSBN fleet and the future 12 Ohio replacement class SSBNs support our nation’s deterrent mission by ensuring survivability. In fact, there is little debate that they are the most survivable leg of our nuclear triad. What is often lost in translation is the major roles stealth and the size of the SSBN force play in our sea-based deterrent survivability. In addition to allowing operational flexibility, numbers matter when it comes to survivability. With a large enough SSBN force, adversary planning becomes complicated. SSBN operations are less predictable and operational intervals (time between underway and return to port events) can be varied as well as the nature of at-sea patrols. Simply said, a sufficient number of SSBNs allows their dispersal across wide ocean areas, making it exceedingly difficult to locate and destroy them. In this case, it is the number of ships, not warheads that preserves the deterrent value. As we reduce our operating warhead numbers to comply with the New START Treaty, our SSBNs are scheduled to assume a larger role in our nation’s nuclear deterrent capability. Reducing our SSBN force structure potentially invites adversaries to consider the likelihood, e.g. the risk, associated with attempting to hold that smaller force – at risk.
We have already significantly reduced our SSBN force size – from the 41 for Freedom boats of Cold War fame, to 18 Ohios taking us through the end of the Cold War to the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom – to 14 Ohios (after we converted the four oldest SSBNs to guided missile submarines) to the planned fleet of 12 Ohio replacements. The number of Ohio replacements will be less than a fourth the size of the SSBN fleet of the 1970s.
To ensure the survivability of the SSBN force it must be stealthy, which is almost exclusively a function of its as-built characteristics. This means that an appropriate amount of research and development effort must be expended early in the design phase to ensure the SSBN’s ability to remain undetectable for the entire 42-year hull life. The credibility and effectiveness of our deterrent are undermined if we make the mistake of accepting degradation in stealth that an adversary can in the future exploit.
The Ohio replacement class SSBN is an essential investment for our nation and will continue to be a national imperative that will ensure stability and security for our country and our allies. We cannot slide this program any further to the right. We must invest in designing and building the class now. The commitment that the Ohio replacement team makes is that they will do everything available to design and build this critical ship in a responsible way. They will drive down costs at every logical opportunity – of that, you can be sure. But, we must resource this program appropriately – we cannot hesitate or delay any further.
In the article below, Rear Adm. Bruner creates an argument that attempts to place the subject of disarmament securely in a coffin and start nailing the lid shut:
"As long as nuclear weapons remain in the hands of potential adversaries, our nuclear forces must provide a safe, secure and credible deterrent to prevent the United. States, our allies and partners from being coerced by the threat of nuclear attack."
Should those in government who are responsible for carrying out our nation's responsibilities under our treaty (and other) obligations accept this argument at face value we are all doomed to the inevitability of nuclear war and the subsequent end of civilization as we know it
Our nation's continuing deployment and associated threat of use of nuclear weapons does not keep our nation or any other nation safe or secure, and only increases proliferation and the risk of nuclear war.
Our inescapable task is to either move beyond the Cold War thinking that led to the development of the Trident nuclear weapons system in the first place, or continue to cut away at the fraying cord by which hangs the nuclear Sword of Damocles that threatens humanity.
There is NO military solution to the issue of nuclear weapons. Moving the world toward disarmament will require a major paradigm shift, and that will require massive citizen engagement of this issue to counter arguments such as Rear Adm. Bruner's.
Is the replacement of Ohio class submarines an "essential investment" or Assured Omnicide???
###
Ohio Replacement Class SSBNs an Essential Investment
By Rear Adm. Barry L. Bruner
Director, Undersea Warfare Division (N97)
(originally published at NAVY LIVE: The Official Blog of the United States Navy, March 19, 2003, http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2013/03/19/ohio-replacement-class-ssbns-an-essential-investment/)
As our nation debates future defense spending, a healthy dialogue concerning future capabilities, size and value of the nation’s nuclear weapons and the Navy’s ballistic missile submarine force continues to grow. As long as nuclear weapons remain in the hands of potential adversaries, our nuclear forces must provide a safe, secure and credible deterrent to prevent the United States, our allies and partners from being coerced by the threat of nuclear attack. As part of this credible deterrent, the Navy’s continuous at-sea deployment of SSBNs provides the ability to mount an assured response and impose unacceptable costs on potential adversaries.
The current SSBN fleet and the future 12 Ohio replacement class SSBNs support our nation’s deterrent mission by ensuring survivability. In fact, there is little debate that they are the most survivable leg of our nuclear triad. What is often lost in translation is the major roles stealth and the size of the SSBN force play in our sea-based deterrent survivability. In addition to allowing operational flexibility, numbers matter when it comes to survivability. With a large enough SSBN force, adversary planning becomes complicated. SSBN operations are less predictable and operational intervals (time between underway and return to port events) can be varied as well as the nature of at-sea patrols. Simply said, a sufficient number of SSBNs allows their dispersal across wide ocean areas, making it exceedingly difficult to locate and destroy them. In this case, it is the number of ships, not warheads that preserves the deterrent value. As we reduce our operating warhead numbers to comply with the New START Treaty, our SSBNs are scheduled to assume a larger role in our nation’s nuclear deterrent capability. Reducing our SSBN force structure potentially invites adversaries to consider the likelihood, e.g. the risk, associated with attempting to hold that smaller force – at risk.
 |
Logistics Specialist Seaman Kevin Simpson helms the
Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Tennessee (SSBN 734)
while underway in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 19, 2012.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist
1st Class James Kimber/Released)
|
To ensure the survivability of the SSBN force it must be stealthy, which is almost exclusively a function of its as-built characteristics. This means that an appropriate amount of research and development effort must be expended early in the design phase to ensure the SSBN’s ability to remain undetectable for the entire 42-year hull life. The credibility and effectiveness of our deterrent are undermined if we make the mistake of accepting degradation in stealth that an adversary can in the future exploit.
The Ohio replacement class SSBN is an essential investment for our nation and will continue to be a national imperative that will ensure stability and security for our country and our allies. We cannot slide this program any further to the right. We must invest in designing and building the class now. The commitment that the Ohio replacement team makes is that they will do everything available to design and build this critical ship in a responsible way. They will drive down costs at every logical opportunity – of that, you can be sure. But, we must resource this program appropriately – we cannot hesitate or delay any further.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)