WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration is altering its decades-old nuclear weapons policy to reduce the role and number of such weapons. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the change will pave the way toward an eventual nuclear-free world.
The United States, the only nation to ever unleash an atomic bomb during war, would reduce the number of potential U.S. nuclear targets and restrict the circumstances under which strategic weapons could be used.
Officials said the new policy would not compromise the security of the United States or its allies. And Gates said the U.S. would continue to develop missile defense systems. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. "will cooperate with partners worldwide" to combat nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism.
