NUCLEAR WEAPONS SIGN-ON STATEMENT

As religious leaders in the United States, we firmly oppose the administration's multi-billion dollar plan to rebuild the nation's nuclear weapons capabilities through the Department of Energy's Complex Transformation proposal.
 
The administration's plans to rebuild the U.S. nuclear weapons production capacity is dangerous and expensive and could reignite an arms race, encourage proliferation, and reduce national security. We believe that to restart U.S. nuclear warhead production and possibly build new weapons as called for by the Energy Department's preferred plan, will risk the lives of the entire human family.
 
We urge our political leaders to follow instead the course outlined by statesmen George Shultz, William Perry, Henry Kissinger, and Sam Nunn by taking immediate and deliberate steps toward multilateral nuclear disarmament. Many of these steps would directly involve the Energy Department and the future of the weapons complex including: increasing nonproliferation efforts, accelerating weapon dismantlement, and extending key arms control treaties.[1][1] To this list, we would add pursuing alternative missions for the national nuclear laboratories. This path, away from nuclear weapons, will make us safer and is consistent with our moral values.
 
Along with these steps, we call on our political leaders to show the moral and political courage necessary to bring about a shift in our nation's nuclear weapons posture. Today we have a historic opportunity to begin the journey out from under the shadow of nuclear weapons. We hope and pray that all Americans will take advantage of this moment and join us as we work toward the total elimination of these weapons of mass destruction.
 
In line with these beliefs, we propose a No Production Alternative to Complex Transformation. This would include the following steps:

• Place a moratorium on new warhead designs.
• Limit plutonium pit production to replacement of pits destroyed by surveillance activities.
• Consolidate and downsize the Nuclear Weapons Complex.
• Continue the nuclear testing moratorium.

Our joint public comments on the Energy Department's Complex Transformation proposal are divided into two main sections. In the first section, we address the Energy Department's preferred alternative for Complex Transformation. In the second, we set forth our proposed No Production Alternative for Complex Transformation.