In a speech earlier this week in Washington, D.C., Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted at a robust budget for the U.S. nuclear weapons complex in 2011 as part of the Obama administration's long-range push to reduce a reliance on U.S. nuclear weapons.

Clinton's comments came during a discussion of the steps needed to move toward the administration's announced goal of a world with zero nuclear weapons. While both administration officials and outside experts call that a distant goal, in the near term moving in that direction will require continued attention to maintaining what arsenal remains, Clinton said during a speech at a conference organized by the United States Institute of Peace. From the official state department transcript:

We believe now is the time for a look - a fresh look at the views on the role of the United States nuclear weapons arsenal. We can't afford to continue relying on recycled Cold War thinking. We are sincere in our pursuit of a secure peaceful world without nuclear weapons. But until we reach that point of the horizon where the last nuclear weapon has been eliminated, we need to reinforce the domestic consensus that America will maintain the nuclear infrastructure needed to sustain a safe and effective deterrent without nuclear testing.

So in addition to supporting a robust nuclear complex budget in 2011, we will also support a new Stockpile Management Program that would focus on sustaining capabilities. This is what the military leaders, charged with responsibility for our strategic deterrent, need in order to defend our country. General Chilton, Commander of U.S. STRATCOM, has said repeatedly that he doesn't need new nuclear weapons capabilities - but he must be confident in the capabilities that we have. (emphasis added)

While Clinton was no more specific than that, her comments hint at continued funding for both a major plutonium complex at Los Alamos and a major uranium complex at Oak Ridge, two multi-billion dollar projects the nuclear establishment has argued are needed to maintain the U.S. arsenal. We likely will not find out for sure about funding for those projects until next February, when the administration releases its 2011 budget request.

(picture courtesy State Department)