Trump taking tougher stance on Russia nuclear threat
WASHINGTON (AP) â The  Trump  administration on Friday announced it will continue much of the Obama administrationâs nuclear weapons policy  but take a more aggressive stance toward Russia. It said Russia must be convinced it would face âunacceptably dire costsâ if it were to threaten even a limited nuclear attack in Europe.
The sweeping review of U.S. nuclear policy does not call for any net increase in strategic nuclear weapons â a position that stands in contrast to  President Donald Trumpâs statement  in a tweet  shortly before  he  took office  that the U.S. âmust greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.â In his State of the Union address Tuesday  he made no mention of expansion  though he said the arsenal must deter acts of aggression.
The Pentagon-led review of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and the policies that govern it was ordered by  Trump  a year ago. In a written statement   Trump  said U.S. strategy is designed to make use of nuclear weapons less likely. In an apparent reference to the threat of catastrophic cyberattack   he  said the U.S. aims to strengthen deterrence of major attacks against the U.S. and its allies  including those that âmay not come in the form of nuclear weapons.â
â President Trump  is embarking on a reckless path â one that will reduce U.S. security both now and in the longer term â said Lisbeth Gronlund  a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. She said the administration is blurring the line between nuclear and conventional war-fighting.
The  Trump  administration concluded that the U.S. should largely follow its predecessorâs blueprint for modernizing the nuclear arsenal  including new bomber aircraft  submarines and land-based missiles. It also endorsed adhering to existing arms control agreements  including the New START treaty that limits the United States and Russia each to 1 550 strategic nuclear warheads on a maximum of 700 deployed launchers.
The  Trump  nuclear doctrine breaks with Obamaâs in ending his push to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. defense policy. Like Obama   Trump  would consider using nuclear weapons only in âextreme circumstances â while maintaining a degree of ambiguity about what that means. But  Trump  sees a fuller deterrent role for these weapons  as reflected in the plan to develop new capabilities to counter Russia in Europe.
WASHINGTON (AP) â The  Trump  administration on Friday announced it will continue much of the Obama administrationâs nuclear weapons policy  but take a more aggressive stance toward Russia. It said Russia must be convinced it would face âunacceptably dire costsâ if it were to threaten even a limited nuclear attack in Europe.
The sweeping review of U.S. nuclear policy does not call for any net increase in strategic nuclear weapons â a position that stands in contrast to  President  [TGT] âs statement  in a tweet  shortly before  he  took office  that the U.S. âmust greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.â In his State of the Union address Tuesday  he made no mention of expansion  though he said the arsenal must deter acts of aggression.
The Pentagon-led review of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and the policies that govern it was ordered by  Trump  a year ago. In a written statement   Trump  said U.S. strategy is designed to make use of nuclear weapons less likely. In an apparent reference to the threat of catastrophic cyberattack   he  said the U.S. aims to strengthen deterrence of major attacks against the U.S. and its allies  including those that âmay not come in the form of nuclear weapons.â
â President Trump  is embarking on a reckless path â one that will reduce U.S. security both now and in the longer term â said Lisbeth Gronlund  a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. She said the administration is blurring the line between nuclear and conventional war-fighting.
The  Trump  administration concluded that the U.S. should largely follow its predecessorâs blueprint for modernizing the nuclear arsenal  including new bomber aircraft  submarines and land-based missiles. It also endorsed adhering to existing arms control agreements  including the New START treaty that limits the United States and Russia each to 1 550 strategic nuclear warheads on a maximum of 700 deployed launchers.
The  Trump  nuclear doctrine breaks with Obamaâs in ending his push to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. defense policy. Like Obama   Trump  would consider using nuclear weapons only in âextreme circumstances â while maintaining a degree of ambiguity about what that means. But  Trump  sees a fuller deterrent role for these weapons  as reflected in the plan to develop new capabilities to counter Russia in Europe.