Surely China cannot do what treaty critics argued the United States is incapable of doing - developing advanced weapons without actual testing of those weapons. This is like arguing that it is possible to stop an incoming rifle bullet just because one knows the technical specifications of the bullet in question. Finally, Mr. Cox cites the need to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The United States possesses a reliable arsenal of compact, interchangeable warheads. There is no strategic justification for further warhead development in the foreseeable future.
Smaller warheads are unnecessary, and more powerful warheads are undesirable.
In fact, the United States deploys no warheads with yields of more than 500 kilotons, despite the ability to deploy weapons with yields more than 10 times higher.