Why Are We Still Building Nuclear Weapons? Follow the Money

Posted: 11th August 2021

 The United States maintains an active nuclear stockpile of roughly 4,000
nuclear weapons, including over 1,500 deployed warheads. Russia’s
stockpile is comparable, at roughly 4,400, while China follows with roughly
300 strategic nuclear warheads. Despite its considerably smaller arsenal,
recent revelations regarding China’s construction of new silos for
long-range nuclear missiles are cause for real concern as they raise the
risk of accelerating the nuclear arms race at great risk to the future of
the planet. These developments demand dialogue to roll back the production
of new nuclear weapons systems, leading to reductions in the size of global
arsenals and the ultimate elimination of this existential threat. Given all
of the above, why is the United States still building nuclear weapons, more
than seven decades after the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? The
U.S. is not alone in building a new generation of nuclear weapons –
Russia and China are doing so as well. But the Pentagon’s 30-year plan to
build new nuclear-armed bombers, missiles, and submarines – along with
new nuclear warheads to go with them at a cost of up to $2 trillion – is
the height of folly and an unnecessary, grave risk to the lives of current
and future generations. A major reason for this misguided policy can be
summed up in a phrase – there is money to be made in perpetuating the
nuclear arms race.

 Forbes 10th Aug 2021