Some clarity has started to emerge on how important the military and nuclear weapons are to the new administration. On 28th February, Trump announced a ‘historic increase in defense spending to rebuild the depleted military,’ and reports talked of a 10% increase. His billion budget is to be funded by cuts to the State Department and US foreign aid. And the White House is expected to publish detailed proposals by the end of March.
Transatlantic Security
Trump’s Nuclear Rhetoric and its implications for European Security: 27 Feb 2017
Trump’s Nuclear Rhetoric and its implications for European Security
Further questions were raised over the direction of US nuclear posture review last week. In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Trump opined that the US has 'fallen behind on nuclear weapon capacity' and pledged the US to be 'top of the pack' when it comes to nuclear weapons.
Implications of US Nuke Debate for UK
BASIC's Executive Director, Paul Ingram, recently authored an article in the Huffington Post which reviews President Trump's inconsistent messages with regards to US nuclear policy. Paul explores the potential repercussions of US nuclear posture on decision-making in Westminster and further afield.
“The salience of the nuclear weapons debate in the United States and further afield has risen dramatically in recent months, with much to play for.”
Read the full article here.
Opening Salvos in the Trump Administration’s Nuclear Debate: 10 Feb 2017
The US President has the authority to launch the US nuclear arsenal at any time and without reference to any other authority. During the Presidential election Democrats attempted to discredit Trump’s ability to handle the grave responsibilities of office that come from control of the country’s thousands of nuclear warheads. US nuclear posture and doctrine is now set to remain a high-profile, contentious issue in the first year of the Trump Administration.
The 2016 Nuclear Security Summit Returns to Washington
In his 2009 speech in Prague, President Obama described the threat of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons as the “most immediate and extreme threat to global security”. Setting the bar high, he also announced the start of a global summit process that would focus on the security of nuclear materials from the threat of theft and terrorism in and work “to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world within four years”.
The state of the UK and European debates on nuclear weapons
BASIC and the Federation of American Scientists hosted a joint discussion on the state of the UK and European nuclear weapons debates, and the importance of this in a global context.
Nuclear weapons, financing, and Russia’s armed forces reform
Recent Developments in Russia's Nuclear Posture
Since 2008, the Russian government has undertaken an initiative to overhaul its conventional armed forces, with a target completion date of 2020.
Britain’s Trident “Nuclear Deterrent”: Instruments of Armageddon
In this article, Jim McCluskey cites the report from the Trident Commission regarding Britain's deterrent's reliance on “American goodwill.”
Read the full article here: http://www.globalresearch.ca/britains-trident-nuclear-deterrent-instruments-of-armageddon/5428213