Nuclear scientist argues for refurbishing, not replacing Minuteman III missiles

Frank von Hippel knows a thing or two about nuclear arms.

More than two dozen trips to Moscow during the Cold War and a lifetime of research as a nuclear scientist at an Ivy League university means that when he talks about nuclear arms, people listen. He was credited with being instrumental in the efforts to decrease the number of nuclear weapons in the waning days of the Soviet Union.

After the missile treaties were signed, von Hippel had thought his work in nuclear arms may be finishing. But now, nearly 40 years later, as more countries developed nuclear technology, he’s finding many of the old arguments, policies and battles are far from done.

“I myself thought that once the Cold War ended that it would end the threat of nuclear war,” von Hippel said. “We didn’t go to zero like I thought. We didn’t even get close. After the (arms reduction treaties between the U.S. and the Soviet Union) I thought, ‘It’s all over. What am I going to do next?’ But now we need a new group of physicists to get to the issue.

“There was a whole generation in the 1980s and 1990s that had a sophisticated Congress which understood these issues. Now, I worry that if there’s a prospect of contractors and jobs to be had in their state, they’ll line up.”

Read more: https://dailymontanan.com/2021/04/05/nuclear-scientist-argues-for-refurbishing-not-replacing-minuteman-iii-missiles/