The United States already has a huge nuclear arsenal, and in the coming years it will invest a lot more in its modernization. Facts and figures about the nuclear power of the USA:
The American nuclear arsenal is huge. Of the 3,700 nuclear warheads available, about half can be used immediately. And about 125 nuclear warheads are located in Europe - in NATO's European bases in Belgium, Germany, Italy or Turkey, notes the German public media ARD.
These weapons maintain global strategic stability and serve as deterrence, American weapons expert Kyle Balzer told ARD. "Our arsenal is so comprehensive and diverse that we can use nuclear weapons of different power in different ways. This flexibility is important for strengthening our conventional military forces, for protecting our allies and for effectively preventing a direct attack on the United States."
Six percent of the military budget is for nuclear weapons
Over the next ten years, the United States will invest a lot of money in the modernization of its nuclear arsenal, ARD further reported. Outdated computer systems and weapons technologies will be replaced, and warheads will be modified. Congress has approved the allocation of $ 946 billion by 2034 for the renewal and maintenance of nuclear weapons. This means that 6% of the huge US military budget goes precisely for this purpose.
Because of this, the expensive program is the subject of political disputes. For example, within the Pentagon, where departments for conventional weapons systems compete for budget funds with those responsible for nuclear weapons, which in the ideal case may never be used. But there is also a debate within the ruling party itself, Balzer points out. The strongly isolationist wing of the party refuses to invest hundreds of billions in the security of other countries such as South Korea, Poland or Turkey, the ARD points out.
High national debts are a major problem. Added to this are the noisy protests of supporters of the "America First" movement, who were angered after the recent US attack on Iran. The majority in the party is still interested in maintaining alliances, taking a leading position in the world and having a military budget that makes this possible.
There is practically no civil opposition to nuclear weapons in the US. In polls, over 80% of Americans firmly reject the use of nuclear weapons against civilian targets, as was the case in Japan 80 years ago. But at the same time, all political camps in the US believe that possessing nuclear weapons is a necessity.
"Trump likes the big nuclear button"
Therefore, the president has no political constraints in this regard, Danish nuclear disarmament expert Hans Christensen told ARD. "Donald Trump likes the big nuclear button - he likes to beat his chest and show how strong he is", the expert said, but added that at the same time, Trump has repeatedly expressed concerns about nuclear weapons. He considers them dangerous and fears that the US has to spend too much money on them. "But there is nothing in his budget that reflects this concern. He is going full steam ahead."
The US has one of the largest and most modern nuclear arsenals in the world. And the government is currently showing no interest in disarmament. Public spending is being cut everywhere except for the military. A new dynamic in nuclear armaments is observed mainly in the race with the rapidly catching up competition from China.