Saturday, February 25, 2017

Is U.S. Nuclear Arms Capability Lagging?



Reuters: Experts dispute Trump's assertion that U.S. nuclear arms capability is lagging

While President Donald Trump has suggested that the United States must expand its nuclear arsenal, many experts say U.S. nuclear forces are unrivaled and will remain so as they undergo a modernization program that could cost more than $1 trillion.

In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Trump said the United States has "fallen behind on nuclear weapon capacity." He pledged to ensure that, "We're going to be at the top of the pack."

While Moscow currently deploys 200 more strategic nuclear warheads than the United States does, both countries are bound by the 2010 New START treaty to slash their deployed strategic warheads to no more than 1,550 each by February 2018, the lowest level in decades. The accord also limits their deployed land- and submarine-based missiles and nuclear-capable bombers.

Read more ....

Previous Post: President Trump Wants To Expand The U.S. Nuclear Arsenal (February 23, 2017).

WNU Editor: Modernising America's nuclear weapons .... as laid out by the Obama administration .... is going to be costly .... Nuclear modernization costs: $400B over 10 years (Defense News)

More News On President Trump's Call For U.S. Nuclear Supremacy

Trump's call for US nuclear supremacy raises questions (CNN).
Trump wants a 'top of the pack' nuclear program: does that actually signal a shift? -- David Iaconangelo, CSM
Chuck Spinney warns that we're sleepwalking into a new arms race -- Fabius Maximus
America's Nuclear Weapons: Everything You Always Wanted To Know (But Were Afraid To Ask) -- National Interest

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