Big cut in U.S. nuclear fleet, says Greenpeace

Press, 19 December 1989, Page 6

Big cut in U.S. nuclear fleet, says Greenpeace

By

BRENDON BURNS

in Wellington

THE UNITED STATES Navy has cut its nuclearcapable ship fleet from 187 vessels to 49, the Washington office of Greenpeace said yesterday, after using the United tates’ Freedom of Information Act. A New Zealand Greenpeace spokeswoman, Ms Jacqui Barrington, hailed the news as time for the United States to abandon its neither-confirm-nor-deny policy on nuclear weapons. Quoting what it said were United States Navy figures, Greenpeace in Washington said there had been rapid retirement of 1150 non-strategic naval nuclear warheads since 1987. Greenpeace estimated this left the United States with 2500 tactical weapons on its the Soviet Navy-for the-•first time* •Soviet tactical. weapons "On' sliips were estimated at 2960. ‘‘With the Soviets pressing for arms control, Greenpeace said Moscow should take more concrete measures to eliminate nuclear weapons at sea. The United States Navy was accused of a “bunker mentality” in persistently rebuffing the Soviet calls for arms reduction. “Unfortunately the U.S. Navy

has rejected every Soviet proposal,” said Mr Joshua Handler, a Greenpeace researcher. “But at the same time it has been eliminating •- nuclear weapons faster than the Soviet Navy because it no longer sees much value or need for them.” The reductions mean only 21 per cent of the United States surface combatants (ships and aircraft carriers) can now deliver nuclear weapons, compared to 75 per cent two years ago. Retired United States weapons include ASROC nuclear depth charges and Terrier nuclear air defence missiles. --.Butj 12 of the ASROC/Terrier Slips" have subsequently been armed with tile new nuclear Tomahawk sea-launched cruise missile. Mr Handler said elimination of the ASROC and Terrier weapons put new pressures on the neither-confirm-nor-deny policy. The vast majority of ships engaging in foreign port calls would no longer be nuclearcapable. “The Navy will look damn silly refusing to admit that visiting ships do not carry nuclear

weapons, when it is clear they are no longer even nuclearcapable,” he said. Naval nuclear weapons were no longer relevant to United States security. Yet there were plans to spread the new Tomahawk missile to 91 ships in the future, and 12 nuclear-armed aircraft carriers. Greenpeace believed the United States had to re-evaluate its commitment to the remaining nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union had to demonstrate its proposals for naval arms control with real reductions. Ms Barrington said in Auckland that there was now absolutely no reason for any nuclearcapable ship to visit New Zealand. “Now is the time for the U.S. to mend its fences with New Zealand and abandon the neither-confirm-nor-deny policy,” she said. New Zealanders could take justifiable pride in the fact that their consistent opposition to nuclear ship visits had contributed to naval nuclear disarmament, she said. •