‘Art of the Deal’ author makes the world a nuclear offer

Harold C. Hutchison
Mar 31, 2018 3:01 AM PDT
1 minute read
Air Force photo

SUMMARY

President Donald Trump has pushed for the rebuilding of American military capabilities across the board, whether it’s the selection of James Mattis as Secretary of Defense or the seeking a larger Navy — or trying to restore the nuclear arsenal. …

President Donald Trump has pushed for the rebuilding of American military capabilities across the board, whether it's the selection of James Mattis as Secretary of Defense or the seeking a larger Navy — or trying to restore the nuclear arsenal. All of this hasn't stopped him, though, from pursuing the art of the deal. According to a report by Politico, Trump told a gathering of governors and mayors,


"We're modernizing and creating a brand-new nuclear force. And, frankly, we have to do because others are doing it."

Being the natural negotiator he is, he then offered a deal, adding, "If they stop, we'll stop."

A LGM-30 Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile launching. (USAF photo)

This is not a new position for the President. In December 2016, he tweeted similar sentiments saying, "the United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes."

In modernizing their nuclear arsenal, the United States Military has been trying to develop a new version of the B61 tactical nuclear bomb. The B61 Mod 12 is slated to add a precision-strike capability to this weapon by using GPS guidance to get the bomb within 30 feet of the target point. Depending on the version, the new B61's yield could range from .3 kilotons to 340 kilotons.

The B-2 Spirit, which entered operational service in 1997, is one of only two American strategic nuclear systems younger than music superstar Taylor Swift. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Val Gempis)

There's still a lot to do. The ICBM force uses ancient computers that use eight-inch floppy disks for receiving launch orders from the President. Only two of the strategic systems in the United States' inventory, the B-2 Spirit and the UGM-133 Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile, are younger than pop superstar Taylor Swift, who was born in December 1989.

The state of the American nuclear arsenal has been a point of concern. Russian cheating on the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, signed in 1987, has prompted the United States to develop a new ground-launched cruise missile to match Russian systems, like the SS-26 Stone.

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