A Safe, Secure and Dwindling Arsenal

From today's New York Times editorial page:

The Obama administration is studying whether to move the nation’s huge nuclear weapons production and maintenance complex from the Energy Department, its host for more than two decades, to the Defense Department. The more important question is how it can best contribute to a safe reduction of the nuclear arsenal.

Amen to that.

A good first step would be Senate ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. For background on the treaty, see the newly-updated Congressional Research Service report, "Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Background and Current Developments."

But first, shouldn't we get current on our dues?! From the CRS report's executive summary:

U.S. voting rights in the CTBT Organization Preparatory Commission were suspended on January 1, 2009, for not paying enough dues.

Yet another example of lame-duck inaction requiring swift action.