Second, as everyone knows, this treaty cannot be verified. The CIA has recently publicly acknowledged that it cannot detect low-yield tests. It bothers me that we will not know when others are cheating, and some will cheat. Third , I learned from my service on the Blue Ribbon and FARR Committees that the safety and reliability of our nuclear stockpiles cannot be taken for granted, but must be monitored. It is also a necessary step in modernizing our nuclear weapons.
Testing is vital to maintaining the reliability and credibility of our nuclear deterrent.
The authors of this treaty understand how important testing is to maintaining the viability of nuclear weapons. Fourth , that deterrent has never been as important to the security of Americans as it is today with rogue states developing the capacity to attack our cities and our population. Americans and their allies are more vulnerable than we have ever been. Mr. Chairman, the threat to America, its cities, and populations, is here and now. It has expanded dramatically, not only because of systematic Chinese theft of America s most important military secrets and because of the inadequate U.S. policies governing the safekeeping and transfer of technology, but also because several countries who are signatories of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty have violated their commitments under the Treaty .