US to seek CTBT ratification, says no N-tests

The United States will not conduct nuclear tests and move to seek the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the Obama administration said today, as it underlined the importance of the NPT to the non-proliferation regime, the two pacts that India has failed to support in its present form.

"The United States will not conduct nuclear testing and will pursue ratification and entry into force of the CTBT," said a key US Nuclear Posture Review Report 2010.

The Report released by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon, said the US will not develop new nuclear warheads.

"The United States will not develop new nuclear warheads. Life Extension Programmes (LEPs) will use only nuclear components based on previously tested designs, and will not support new military missions or provide for new military capabilities," it said.

India has failed to support and ink the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the CTBT in its present form as New Delhi describes them as discriminatory.

According to the nuclear review report, the US will study options for ensuring the safety, security, and reliability of nuclear warheads on a case-by-case basis, consistent with the congressionally mandated Stockpile Management Programme.

"The full range of LEP approaches will be considered: refurbishment of existing warheads, reuse of nuclear components from different warheads, and replacement of nuclear components," the report said.

"In any decision to proceed to engineering development for warhead LEPs, the US will give strong preference to options for refurbishment or reuse," it said.

According to the key doctrine, replacement of nuclear components would be undertaken "only if critical Stockpile Management Programme goals could not otherwise be met, and if specifically authorized by the President and approved by Congress".