Trump: America Must Significantly Strengthen Its Nuclear Capability

Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, emphasized on Thursday that the United States must significantly strengthen and expand its nuclear capabilities until the world 'comes to its senses' regarding nuclear weapons. According to Reuters, while Donald Trump raised the issue of enhancing the U.S. nuclear arsenal, earlier on Thursday, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, also stressed the importance of strengthening Russia's nuclear arsenal and strategic weapons. Donald Trump wrote on Twitter: 'The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses on nuclear weapons.' Trump did not provide further details, but Reuters reports that a spokesperson for the President-elect clarified that Trump's reference was to threats regarding the proliferation and expansion of nuclear weapons and the necessity to counter them, especially by terrorist organizations, unstable regions, and rogue states. Jason Miller added that Trump also emphasized the need to modernize deterrent capabilities as a vital means to achieve peace. Reuters states that in the next decade, the useful life of many U.S. nuclear weapons, including submarine-launched ballistic missiles, bombers, and ground-launched missiles, will end, and estimates by independent agencies indicate that the U.S. will need a $1 trillion investment over the next 30 years to modernize its nuclear arsenal. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin also stated: 'We must strengthen our potential and strategic nuclear forces, especially in the area of developing missiles capable of penetrating missile defense systems.' Donald Trump will officially be sworn in as President of the United States on January 20 (less than a month from now). During his election campaign, Trump emphasized the need to strengthen U.S. military forces.