Monday, November 9, 2009

Guarding Pakistani Nukes

According to reporter Seymour Hersh, the U.S. has a secret program in place to secure control of Pakistani nuclear weapons in the event of some sort of crisis. The understanding with the Pakistani military
would allow specially trained American units to provide added security for the Pakistani arsenal in case of a crisis. At the same time, the Pakistani military would be given money to equip and train Pakistani soldiers and to improve their housing and facilities - goals that General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the Pakistan Army chief, has long desired
Hersh is not exactly a reliable source, but such a program sounds like a good idea. Naturally the Pakistanis deny it. If true, this is yet another example of a lack of secrecy where secrecy is needed. Although we can't prevent Pakistani leaks, Hersh seems to have U.S. sources. Any suggestion that the U.S. might have any role in guarding the Pakistani arsenal is highly unpopular in Pakistan. But unpopular or not, let's hope it's true. The last thing we need are Pakistani nukes falling into the wrong hands.

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