Comments on: U.S. Nuclear Posture at a Crossroad, Defense Science Board Says http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2006/12/us_nuclear_posture_at_a_crossr.php Comments and analyses of important national and international security issues Fri, 25 May 2012 17:31:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: AS http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2006/12/us_nuclear_posture_at_a_crossr.php/comment-page-1#comment-101 AS Thu, 11 Jan 2007 06:40:05 +0000 http://www.fas.org/blog/ssp/2006/12/us_nuclear_posture_at_a_crossr.php#comment-101 AS: I suggested to outgoing NNSA Administrator Brooks that public meetings regarding declassification initiatives had been found to be very helpful in the past and that he might consider doing the same in the future. The same thought goes for my endorsing your idea that the public needs to be able to participate in the development of strategic options for the future of the nation's nuclear weapons programs. The weapons labs., pentagon, contractors and DOE have good people with good ideas. But they need to hear the ideas of those outside those tightly wound loops. This is not only for the value of the ideas that might be brought into the process, but too, the possibility that there would be some learning on the part of those currently not a part of the in group. Yes, classification might be a limiting factor, but DOE, with DOD's help, has already demonstrated that on matters as sensitive as classification policy itself the public can participate without danger to classified information and contribute extremely valuable information and perspectives to the process. AS: I suggested to outgoing NNSA Administrator Brooks that public meetings regarding declassification initiatives had been found to be very helpful in the past and that he might consider doing the same in the future. The same thought goes for my endorsing your idea that the public needs to be able to participate in the development of strategic options for the future of the nation’s nuclear weapons programs. The weapons labs., pentagon, contractors and DOE have good people with good ideas.

But they need to hear the ideas of those outside those tightly wound loops. This is not only for the value of the ideas that might be brought into the process, but too, the possibility that there would be some learning on the part of those currently not a part of the in group.

Yes, classification might be a limiting factor, but DOE, with DOD’s help, has already demonstrated that on matters as sensitive as classification policy itself the public can participate without danger to classified information and contribute extremely valuable information and perspectives to the process.

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