US must 'greatly strengthen,expand its nuclear capability until world comes to its senses -trump

[INDIAPOSITIVE]

US must 'greatly strengthen' nuclear capability, says Donald Trump
TNN & Agencies | Updated: Dec 22, 2016, 11.39 PM IST

US President-elect Donald Trump
NEW DELHI: US President-elect Donald Trump said that the United States must strengthen and expand its nuclearcapabilities without giving any details as to how he plans to go about achieving this.

"The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes," Trump tweeted on Thursday.

The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2016
The cryptic tweet follows Trump's meeting with top military contractors to discuss defence budgets on Wednesday.

During his presidential campaign, Trump had repeatedly stated that the US needs to increase its military spending to deter "enemies" like the Islamic State and other terrorist groups that threaten the country. Even then, he did not go into specifics about his proposed military budget.

Trump's transition website GreatAgain.gov states that the President-elect "recognizes the uniquely catastrophic threats posed by nuclear weapons and cyberattacks," and that he will modernize the nuclear arsenal "to ensure it continues to be an effective deterrent."

Defence experts estimate that modernizing the nuclear arsenal may cost about $1 trillion dollars over 30 years.

Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton had panned him as too unpredictable and erratic to control the nuclear arsenal. Outgoing President Barack Obama famously said, "If somebody (Trump) can't handle Twitter, they can't handle nuclear codes."




http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ty-says-donald-trump/articleshow/56127634.cms

 

[war&peace]

US already has one of the largest nuclear stockpiles with most advanced delivery systems. The number is large enough to destroy the world many times over so what else this idiot wants ??

 

[Desertfalcon]

US already has one of the largest nuclear stockpiles with most advanced delivery systems. The number is large enough to destroy the world many times over so what else this idiot wants ??

To ensure that the ones we have and build in the future, are absolutely survivable and that they can be used even after a massive first strike against us.

 

[cloud4000]

To ensure that the ones we have and build in the future, are absolutely survivable and that they can be used even after a massive first strike against us.

US already has this ability now and more. Unless he's planning to add more SSBN's as part of increasing the size of the US Navy. Currently, US has 14 SSBN's -- all Ohio-class ships.

 

[F-22Raptor]

To ensure that the ones we have and build in the future, are absolutely survivable and that they can be used even after a massive first strike against us.

Exactly, we need to modernize our forces(B-21 bomber, LRSO missile, Columbia- class boomers, and Ground Based Strategic Deterrent) to ensure we have the capability to respond to any threat, and to deter adversaries who think they can gain nuclear overmatch against us. It's probably not a coincidence that Trump announced this only hours after Putin announced Russia would enhance their nuclear capability.

 

[Desertfalcon]

US already has this ability now and more. Unless he's planning to add more SSBN's as part of increasing the size of the US Navy. Currently, US has 14 SSBN's -- all Ohio-class ships.

See @F-22Raptor post above. I would also add that we are developing more advanced, long range stealth cruise missiles, more diverse and stealthy launching platforms, etc. It's about modernizing and greatly improving survivability of the arsenal.

 

[war&peace]

That will only create an unnecessary nuclear race between Russia and USA with no end insight until one of them totally collapses economically..while Russia is already under stress, USA is suffering from the largest debt in the world.

 

[oprih]

Good, a global arms race is good for the world economy.

 

[Beidou2020]

The Trump Administration’s Nuclear Weapons Policy: First Steps
By Michaela Dodge

Nuclear weapons continue to be essential for U.S. national security and will continue to play an irreplaceable role in deterring a large-scale attack against the U.S. homeland. Nuclear weapons in the hands of U.S. adversaries and potential adversaries are the only weapons that pose an existential threat to the nation. The Trump Administration will have a unique opportunity to reverse President Barack Obama’s ill-founded nuclear weapons policies, strengthen deterrence, assure allies, and ensure that U.S. nuclear modernization programs continue, including maintaining a triad of U.S. delivery systems: bombers, intercontinental-range ballistic missiles, and submarines.

Wishful Thinking and Nuclear Security
The Trump Administration will have the opportunity—and responsibility—to honestly assess the state of U.S. nuclear weapons infrastructure and the state of the international environment that guides U.S. nuclear weapons planning. The Obama Administration aspired to work toward conditions that would allow the United States to eliminate its nuclear weapons by reducing their role in U.S. national security strategy. But its assessments were guided more by wishful thinking than realities of the international security environment.

In its 2010 Nuclear Posture Review, the White House assessed that Russia is no longer an adversary and that the potential for conflict is low—a fallacy demonstrated by Russia’s annexation of Ukraine and other steps hostile to U.S. interests. Since President Obama took office, Russia has not only launched the most expensive nuclear weapons modernization program since the end of the Cold War, it is also in violation of a whole host of bilateral and international arms control treaties, some of which, like the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty or the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, have profound implications for U.S. allies in Europe. Moscow repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons “pre-emptively” against U.S. allies in Europe. But the Kremlin is not the only adversary the United States has to worry about, particularly since U.S. nuclear weapons provide the ultimate guarantee of many U.S. allies’ security, including Japan and South Korea.

North Korea has conducted four nuclear weapons tests since 2009, two this year. Iran, flush with cash and emboldened due to the relaxation of nuclear restrictions under the Administration’s flawed Iran deal, has not only been violating the deal but also continues to fund terrorist activities in the Middle East.[1] The nuclear deal puts Iran in a better position to develop nuclear weapons than otherwise would have been the case. Other nations now place an increased value on nuclear weapons as guarantors of their security.

Next Steps
To strengthen deterrence, assure allies, and ensure the safety and reliability of U.S. nuclear weapons, the Trump Administration should:

• Re-examine assumptions that guide U.S. nuclear weapons policy on both unclassified and classified levels. The Trump Administration should conduct a classified and unclassified review of U.S. nuclear weapon policies, particularly focusing on the threat level, allied assurances, and nuclear weapons modernization.

• Request funding for U.S. nuclear warheads, delivery platforms including the triad, and the supporting nuclear infrastructure. U.S. nuclear weapon systems are aged, and a majority of them are serving well past their intended service lives.[2] The United States has neglected nuclear weapons modernization programs since the end of the Cold War and as components are expiring, the country must get ahead of the curve and modernize its nuclear systems. A flexible and agile nuclear weapons complex is a key to this step. The Obama Administration laudably increased funding for the nuclear enterprise after the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) ratification. The funding levels must be sustained now, and increased in the future, in order to meet the needs of a credible survivable deterrent vis-à-vis a growing threat.

• Stop unilateral nuclear weapons reductions. The New START data declarations show that the United States disproportionately reduced the number of its nuclear warheads since the treaty was signed. The latest State Department data exchange, from September 1, 2016, shows that Russia currently deploys 400 more nuclear warheads than the U.S.[3] The trend must be reversed, as a perception of nuclear superiority emboldens Russia’s aggressive foreign policies that are detrimental to U.S. interests in Europe and in the Middle East.

• Withdraw from New START. Moscow has demonstrated that it is not interested in a benign relationship with the United States. Its massive nuclear weapons modernization investments and deployments defeat the purpose of New START, which has outlived its utility under current conditions.

• Withdraw from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Russia is currently in a material breach of the INF Treaty, developing capabilities that directly threaten North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies and the U.S. ability to defend them.[4] At this point in time, the United States is the only party restricted by the treaty.

• Maintain nuclear ambiguity. Nuclear ambiguity—lack of specificity with regard to the scenarios under which the United States would use a nuclear weapon—has served as reliable deterrence over the past several decades. The policy should be continued and re-affirmed.

• Move away from the policy of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). In today’s world with multiple nuclear powers, relying on a deterrence that leaves something to chance is not a viable nuclear strategy. For one, unlike the United States that values its way of life and its people, some U.S. adversaries are not concerned with saving the lives of the people they rule. They care about their own survival and about the survival of tools that help them in power. This means that the United States needs an individualized and potentially different set of nuclear and conventional capabilities and strategies in order to threaten the things that its adversaries value. A uniform Cold War approach is not a fitting or prudent strategy for today’s rapidly changing environment.

• Reverse the Obama Administration policy of “three nos.” In an effort to decrease the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security strategy, the Obama Administration instituted a policy of (1) no new nuclear warheads, (2) no new military missions, and (3) no new military capabilities for the existing weapons. This policy assumes that U.S. adversaries are and will be deterred the same way that U.S. adversaries were deterred during the Cold War, when nuclear weapons in the current inventory were designed and deployed. The United States must be able to explore options for deterrence without artificial and obsolete policy restrictions.

• Respect the Senate regarding the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Since the Senate rejected the CTBT in 1999, future President Trump should ask the Senate to return the CTBT to the executive branch. This step would effectively terminate any further consideration of the treaty ratification. Additionally, consistent with Article 18 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the Trump Administration should announce that it has no intention of ratifying the CTBT.

While the executive plays a pivotal role in guiding U.S. nuclear weapons policy, Congress plays an important role as well. To ensure that U.S. nuclear weapons policy is on a sound footing in the future, Congress should:

• Fund the U.S. nuclear weapons modernization program. Congress must work with the Administration to modernize aging nuclear platforms, maintain and extend the life of nuclear warheads, and revitalize the U.S. nuclear weapons complex.

• The Senate should return the CTBT to the executive branch. Since the Senate voted to reject ratification of the CTBT, a termination of any further consideration of the treaty’s ratification is a prudent step the Senate should take.

These steps will ensure that the United States continues to maintain safe, secure, and reliable nuclear weapons that credibly deter a whole range of potential adversaries in the decades ahead.

 

[خره مينه لګته وي]

The United States and Russia have 95% of the world's nuclear weapons, but smaller nuclear powers, such as China, North Korea, India and Pakistan, may view their statements as a call to bolster their own arsenals, he said.

"If the two guys with the biggest arsenals are talking about expanding, they're sending a message to the other guys that it's time to start their engines," Cirincione said. "And we’re off to the races."



so a clean chit for Pakistan to expand its nuclear arsenal good

Trump calls for stronger nukes until world 'comes to its senses'


WASHINGTON - President-elect Donald Trump Thursday decried the state of the nation’s nuclear arsenal, saying in a tweet that it had to be strengthened “greatly” during uncertain times.

“The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes,” he tweeted.

Trump made his remarks a day after receiving a national security briefing from a group of mostly senior military officers, including Air Force Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein, deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration.

https://twitter.com/x/status/811977223326625792

A nuclear arms reduction expert reacted to Trump's tweet with alarm. Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, said similar statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin could trigger a new and destabilizing nuclear arms race.

The United States and Russia have 95% of the world's nuclear weapons, but smaller nuclear powers, such as China, North Korea, India and Pakistan, may view their statements as a call to bolster their own arsenals, he said.

"If the two guys with the biggest arsenals are talking about expanding, they're sending a message to the other guys that it's time to start their engines," Cirincione said. "And we’re off to the races."

An alternative, Cirincione suggested, would be for Trump and Putin to establish a relationship in which arms reduction is a centerpiece.

"He could assure his place his place in the history books with the deal of a lifetime," Cirincione said.

What's a triad?
Yet during the campaign for the Republican nomination and the general election, Trump struggled to show a firm grasp of U.S. nuclear strategy and capability.

In a Republican debate, Trump failed to define the “nuclear triad,” the U.S. nuclear strategy of relying on three weapons platforms to launch weapons — bombers, land-based missiles and submarine-launched missiles. The decades-long strategy is meant to deter enemies from attacking because they will be unable to prevent a devastating response.

Trump has also suggested that U.S. allies such as Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, all of whom rely on the U.S. nuclear deterrent, could acquire nuclear weapons for their own defense.

The Pentagon, in its 2017, budget has several initiatives aimed at modernizing its nuclear arsenal. Among them is a $2.1 billion program to develop a new, radar-evading long-range bomber.

Soviet Nuclear Threat Reduction Act of 1991 Since then, Pentagon statistics show, more than 7,600 nuclear warheads have been deactivated, while the United States, Russia and former Soviet republics have destroyed more than 3,600 missiles and missile launchers, 33 submarines, 155 bombers, more than 1.6 million chemical munitions, and more than 4,000 metric tons of chemical weapons.

Contributing: Jim Michaels


https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

 

[Viny]

It would be in US best interest that world doest come to senses.
Because if world would come to senses, US will no more be what it is today.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

AI Computers
Streathy Missiles no one can detect
Pushing the potential of Weapon

......yep ......

You know what that means

 

[XenoEnsi-14]

Trump has also suggested that U.S. allies such as Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, all of whom rely on the U.S. nuclear deterrent, could acquire nuclear weapons for their own defense.

Dude WTF?!

 

[ultron]

Trump should bring back F-22 and AGM-129 which Obama shuttered in 2009 and 2012. F-35 is a single engine plane. F-22 is a necessary twin engine air superiority plane.

 

[Zabaniyah]

I think the idea here is to modernize their current weapon systems. We wouldn't expect politicians to explain the specifics do we?