A bipartisan group of 10 House of Representative members recently introduced a resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) going into effect.
The NPT at 50 Resolution reaffirms Congress’ support for the treaty.
The treaty was signed in 1968 and was ratified on March 5, 1970. The purpose of the treaty is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and to further reduce the number of them.
“The NPT can be viewed as the most important accomplishment since World War II,” Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), a member of the group, said. “As we look across the nonproliferation landscape, there’s reason for optimism as we reflect on the 50 years since the NPT went into effect. Nevertheless, today we face a number of pressing nonproliferation challenges, and it is necessary for Congress to reaffirm support for the NPT to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and acknowledge the essential role American leadership has played and should continue to play, in promoting nuclear nonproliferation around the world.”
Sherman is the former chairman of the Asia, Pacific, and Nonproliferation Subcommittee that has jurisdiction over issues of nuclear nonproliferation. The subcommittee held a hearing in September on the State Department’s efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction.