Although the Cold War is officially over, the United States' nuclear arsenal is an integral part of our country's military strategy and spending. Next Saturday, Radius will be co-hosting an all-day conference focusing on reducing the risks of a nuclear event. In 2014, our blog reported some staggering statistics related to nuclear weapons and spending and today, sadly, those statistics remain stable.

Did you know that....

• There are approximately 17,300 nuclear weapons in the world today 
• The US nuclear arsenal comprises 7,700
• 11 US nuclear weapons have been lost and never recovered
• Russia and the US have approximately 1,800 nuclear weapons on "high alert" that can be launched within 15 minutes of a launch order
• The US Department of Defense will spend at least $16 billion this year on its nuclear deterrent program, including command and control systems
• In the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office's projected cost for the US nuclear forces will be $355 billion--that's over a $1trillion in a 30 year time span!

The conference on Saturday will address these issues and more. Workshop topics will include: engaging youth; creating connection between climate change activists and nuclear non-proliferation activists; hazards of the construction, maintenance, storage and decommissioning of nuclear weapons; reducing international tensions through negotiations and treaties; examining state and federal budgets, i.e. transit vs nuclear submarines; de-alerting; and divestment. Recently, the Cambridge City Council approved a measure that will divest the city's endowment of any companies involved with the creation of nuclear armaments. We will hear about these initiative and much more.

Please join us! Lunch will be provided. For more information, please click here.