America’s Current Nuclear Arsenal Was Built for a More Benign World

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America’s Current Nuclear Arsenal Was Built for a More Benign World
By Robert Peters
September 13, 2023


In April 2010, President Obama and Russian President Medvedev signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). Under that agreement, Russia, and the United States both committed to cut strategic nuclear weapons from 2,200 warheads to 1,550, and both leaders promised to begin work on a follow-on treaty that would cut the arsenals of each country even deeper.

New START was seen as the beginning of a new era of arms control. President Obama remarked, “Going forward, we hope to pursue discussions with Russia on reducing both our strategic and tactical weapons.” Some national security professionals even anticipated that future treaties would include China.


Later that year, President Obama struck a deal with then-Senator Jon Kyl to modernize America’s nuclear arsenal, including upgrades to delivery systems, platforms, and warheads, as well as improvements to the infrastructure needed to produce the fissile material that creates a nuclear yield.

The assumption was that, with this modernization program, the nuclear arsenal would remain adequate to deal with a benign security environment. The world, however, turned out differently than expected.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2023/09/13/americas_current_nuclear_arsenal_was_built_for_a_more_benign_world_979195.html

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Russia and China, of course, were expanding their nuclear arsenals and capabilities the whole time. Moscow, for example, has spent the last decade multiplying its arsenal of non-strategic nuclear weapons and is now fielding nuclear-capable theater-range cruise missiles.

So, how are things going for the U.S. nuclear modernization effort?

According to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the Department of Energy’s ability to produce plutonium pits—the explosive material needed to create nuclear detonations—is four years behind schedule and may cost three times the original estimate.

The Sentinel missile, which is meant to replace the Minuteman III nuclear missile, is also struggling. According to GAO, “Sentinel is behind schedule due to staffing shortfalls, delays with clearance processing, and classified information technology infrastructure challenges.”