Obama to face nuclear weapons decision

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- One security issue U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will consider is whether to build new nuclear warheads, sought by President George Bush, officials said.

The Bush administration wants to build the first U.S. nuclear warheads since the Cold War, but Congress demanded the decision wait until an assessment of U.S. nuclear weapons is completed in 2009, USA Today reported Tuesday.

The outcome will determine whether eight nuclear research and manufacturing facilities nationwide focus on maintaining existing warheads or gear up for new production, the newspaper said.

"This is not just a decision about the future of U.S. nuclear weapons, but about how the United States will address the challenges of ... nuclear terrorism, nuclear proliferation and our entire 21st-century nuclear strategy," said Clark Murdock, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The challenges of nuclear warhead production have percolated for some time, Murdoch said, "and the Obama administration is going to have to deal with them."

While candidate Obama said he wanted a world without nuclear weapons, he said the United States must "always maintain a strong (nuclear) deterrent as long as nuclear weapons exist."

Obama's statements during the campaign and after his election don't indicate a position on the Bush plan.

Among other things, Obama promised to bolster non-proliferation programs, reach disarmament deals with Russia and strengthen sanctions against North Korea, Iran and other states with rogue nuclear programs.