Washington. January 9. INTERFAX-Former Pentagon Chief William Perry called on President-elect Joe Biden to change the system of control over the US nuclear arsenal in order to reduce international security risks.
Earlier it became known that the speaker of the house of representatives, Nancy Pelosi discussed with the Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff U.S. army mark Milly, how not to give "unstable" Donald Trump in the last days of his tenure as a President to go to war or to order a nuclear strike.
"While in office, the president has the absolute right to start a nuclear war. In minutes, Trump can launch hundreds of nuclear bombs or one. He doesn't need a different opinion on this. The Minister of Defense does not have the right to vote. Congress does not play a role, " Perry said in an article written for Politico.
Perry also pointed out the danger of a false alarm to start a conflict.
"Today, a false alarm is more likely because our weapons and warning systems are vulnerable to cyber attacks, like the recent hacking of SolarWinds by Russia," he says.
According to Perry, to strengthen security, Biden should share the authority to use nuclear weapons with a select group of members of the US Congress.
"He should also declare that the US will never start a nuclear war and will only use the (atomic - IF) bomb in response," Perry pointed out.
In addition, he suggested that Biden abandon ground-based ballistic missiles, more vulnerable to the first strike of the enemy: thus, the president will not have to make hasty decisions aimed at protecting such weapons. Instead, the former Pentagon chief concludes, Biden should rely on weapons placed on submarines to deter a potential enemy and have a better chance of surviving an enemy strike.
William Perry served as U.S. Secretary of Defense from 1994 to 1997.
Earlier, Pelosi warned that if Trump does not immediately leave the presidency, Congress will take action to try to remove him from power.