Trump and Putin both call for stronger nuclear arsenals, raising flag on potential new arms race

US president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday abruptly called for the United States to “greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability” until the rest of the world “comes to its senses” regarding nuclear weapons. His comments on Twitter came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said strengthening his country’s nuclear capabilities should be a chief military objective in the coming year, raising the flag on a potential restart of the nuclear arms race. The president-elect’s statement also followed his meetings a day earlier with top Pentagon officials and defence contractors. Trump, who is spending the holidays at his private club in Florida, did not expand on the actions he wants the US to take or say why he raised the issue Thursday. Spokesman Jason Miller said the president-elect was referring to the threat of nuclear proliferation “particularly to and among terrorist organisations and unstable and rogue regimes.” Miller said Trump sees modernising the nation’s deterrent capability “as a vital way to pursue peace through strength”. If Trump were to seek an expansion of the nuclear stockpiles, it would mark a sharp shift in US national security policy. US President Barack Obama has made nuclear non-proliferation a centrepiece of his agenda, calling in 2009 for the US to lead efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons – a goal he acknowledged would not be accomplished quickly or easily. Still, the US has been moving forward on plans to upgrade its ageing nuclear arsenal. Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the Pentagon planned to spend US$108 billion over the next five years to sustain and improve its nuclear force. The US and Russia hold the vast majority of the world’s nuclear weapons. In 2010, the two countries signed the New START treaty capping the number of nuclear warheads and missile launchers each country can possess. The agreement is in effect until 2021 and can be extended for another five years. Thomas Karako, senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said the last comprehensive review of the US nuclear force – which was conducted during Obama’s first term – occurred against the backdrop of efforts to reset relations between Washington and Moscow. The relationship has since deteriorated, with Obama and Putin clashing over Russia’s provocations in Ukraine and support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 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 “We need to candidly assess what the environment is and what the prospects are for Russian compliance with current treaties,” Karako said. Trump has repeatedly called for closer relations with Russia and has spoken favourably about Putin. Democrats have questioned his ties to the Kremlin, particularly after US intelligence officials assessed that Russia had interfered in the US election on Trump’s behalf. Putin addressed his country’s nuclear capabilities during an annual year-end meeting of the Russian defence ministry. He said Russia should enhance missile complexes that can “penetrate existing and future missile defence systems.” A US-backed missile shield in Eastern Europe has been another source of tension between Washington and Moscow. Russia argues the system is a threat, while US and Nato officials say it’s meant to deter Iran from targeting Europe. Watch: Trump’s nuclear tweet sparks questions and fear The state of the US nuclear arsenal was rarely addressed during the presidential campaign. To the extent it was, Trump showed faint understanding of its details. During a Republican primary debate, he appeared unfamiliar with the concept of a nuclear triad, the cold war-era combination of submarines, land-based missiles and strategic bombers for launching nuclear attacks. Trump’s vanquished campaign rival Hillary Clinton repeatedly cast the Republican as too erratic and unpredictable to have control of the nation’s nuclear arsenal. The president-elect’s transition website says he “recognises the uniquely catastrophic threats posed by nuclear weapons and cyberattacks,” adding that he will modernise the nuclear arsenal “to ensure it continues to be an effective deterrent.”

Trump and Putin both call for stronger nuclear arsenals, raising flag on potential new arms race

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}US president-elect unexpectedly calls for ‘greatly strengthened’ nuclear capability, just hours after Russian president says much the same

US president-elect unexpectedly calls for ‘greatly strengthened’ nuclear capability, just hours after Russian president says much the same