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22 In the area of waste management , government officials have collected a total of $ 3 billion from U.S. ratepayers for radwaste management / disposal , 23 although they have spent many times that figure on activities related to caring for the nuclear wastes . The Jasons group was asked to determine if the Department of Energy 's program for maintaining the U.S. ' s nuclear stockpile was on target , particularly with regard to the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative for high-performance computers that handle nuclear simulations . Mr. Clinton stated that the United States has more than 6,000 nuclear missiles , while China has less than two dozen . With the end of the Cold War , many of you may be wondering why we still need to spend billions so our Trident submarines can run around the oceans with nuclear missiles . The experiments and how the issue is resolved also have implications for the nuclear nonproliferation regime deals with Iran and other states considering their nuclear options . In fact , its utilization encompasses that of a strategic weapon as well as that of its defensive uses of neutralizing nuclear missiles ; it would have the ability to target and eliminate militant and terrorist leaders . One is forced to wonder where the swaggering American war hawks who are now so intent upon invading Iraq were back in the days of the Cold War when a belligerent Soviet Union had thousands of nuclear missiles aimed at American cities and a land army larger than ours . We look at the Strategic Defense Initiative - - if our research develops that there is such a practical system , then we look at that as the means of getting everybody in the world , including ourselves , to get rid of their nuclear missiles . Knowing the uncertainties and inequities involved in our imposing nuclear wastes on future generations ( see the previous chapters ) , the most rational and ethical course of action is to strive to limit both the uncertainty and the damage resulting from our actions . As the material of choice for would-be nuclear terrorists , it is critical that everything that can be done to secure , consolidate , reduce , and ultimately eliminate this material is done as quickly as possible .