Faith and Science Leaders Agree: Reduce the Threat of Nuclear Catastrophe Now

Faith and science leaders call for the reduction of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, the cancellation of new nuclear weapons programs, and the removal of land-based missiles from high-alert status to mitigate the risk of accidental or intentional nuclear war.

• The signatories oppose the U.S. administration's proposal to spend over $1 trillion on a new generation of nuclear warheads, missiles, bombers, and submarines, arguing that such spending is unnecessary and could trigger a costly nuclear arms race.
• The document recommends that President Obama reduce the U.S. deployed strategic arsenal by one third, a level the Pentagon considers adequate for security, and call for Russia to do the same to lower the risk of weapons falling into the hands of terrorists.
• The authors argue that keeping hundreds of nuclear weapons on high alert increases the risk of accidental or unauthorized launches and urge the removal of U.S. land-based missiles from 'hair-trigger status' and the elimination of 'launch on warning' options, requesting Russian reciprocity.
• The statement asserts that these risk-reduction steps would help the United States meet its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons regarding the eventual elimination of all nuclear weapons.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Faith and Science Leaders Agree: Reduce the Threat of Nuclear Catastrophe Now. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/05/Science-Faith-statement-nuclear-weapons.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Faith and Science Leaders Agree: Reduce the Threat of Nuclear Catastrophe Now. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/05/Science-Faith-statement-nuclear-weapons.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Faith and Science Leaders Agree: Reduce the Threat of Nuclear Catastrophe Now |date=May 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/05/Science-Faith-statement-nuclear-weapons.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{unionofconcernedscientists2016faith, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Faith and Science Leaders Agree: Reduce the Threat of Nuclear Catastrophe Now}}, publisher = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/05/Science-Faith-statement-nuclear-weapons.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }