“Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.” That was the message from President-elect Donald Trump, who appears all set for a massive increase in spending on nuclear arms, and appears particularly keen on making it some sort of competition with the Russians.
You can’t have a race without an opponent, however, and Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the idea, insisting his nation wants to make some very specific improvements to their nuclear arms, but has no interest in getting into another arms race.
Putin insisted that the US as “more missiles, submarines, and aircraft carriers,” but that Russia remains confident that they are stronger than any potential aggressor. He also insisted Trump’s talk of expanding the US arsenal wasn’t surprising to him, and didn’t appear to find it particularly concerning.
It did spark a new round of public concern from Trump’s domestic critics, though his transition team sought to clarify the comments, insisting that Trump doesn’t necessarily envision a new nuclear arms race, but was just meant as a “general message of strength.”
It did, however, come a day after Trump pledged that the US would start building nukes and keep building until the “world comes to its senses.” Putin had also talked of spending on Russia’s arsenal, though his comments were more specifically centered on overcoming US-made missile defense systems, which is practice aren’t a major threat to the nuclear arsenals given their relative small number of unreliability.
Nuclear weapons are passé. Trump just doesn’t know this yet.
Putin: “Of course the U.S. has more missiles, submarines and aircraft carriers,
but what we say is that we are stronger than any aggressor, and this is
the case,”
Mankind has always produced weapons for show which were useless in combat [1]. Nuclear weapons will be passe when every nation has one which contains a non-explosive atomic charge. These outwardly impressive weapons may be shown during annual military parades.
[1] among the neatest examples are krisses, daggers, and swords produced from meteoritic iron which is softer than the softest steel. Because they were made from “iron that fell from heaven” they were supposed to give magic protection to the bearer who never used them in combat.
It is obvious to me that Russia and Putin thinks defensively. They actually should be named “defense department”. If we were honest we would name ours the pillage and extortion department. I am sick of it.
Since the world will never “come to its senses” President Trump can grow our nuclear arsenal as long as he is in office. Ironically the world may hold that we have come “to our senses” if we do not re-elect Trump in 2020 if he runs then.
This appears to be a watered-down repeat of Kennedy’s “missile gap” mantra when he ran against Nixon. There was no missile gap.
Today Russia appears to have 400 more nukes than we do but that is nothing compared to the destructive power of the existing US plus Russian arsenal.
The only revolutionary change in the current US-Russian equilibrium would be the construction of a working neutron bomb. Will President Trump order that to begin seriously? A “Latter-Day Manhattan Project”?
I find it ironic that so many morons in the mainstream media like to compare Trump to Putin when the two couldn’t be more different. Vladimir Putin seems to handle every situation on the world stage with calm balance and common sense. Where as the Donald seems to make rash decisions based on nothing but ego and impulse. To put it simply, Trump is the anti-Putin.
All I want for Christmas is a President more like Putin and less like Trump. I won’t hold my breath but a girl can dream.
Hopefully, If Trump is sincere in his goals, he will learn from Vladimir.
I’m afraid that would take a Christmas miracle 😉
Kelly Anna Conway is our Christmas miracle without her Trump would not even be here
You have made a correct observation . Putin is calm and cool and Trump spouts off and doesn’t always sound so good . So Kelly Anna has to explain to us and maybe even to Trump what he meant . Trump runs his answer through his cabinet and tells Kelly Anna again by this time Trump has just as good of a answer to any question as Putin has .after it comes out of Kelly Anna’s mouth . Usually the same answer . Only difference is the public doesn’t get see Putin talk until he has his complete best answer ready . I think these men are much the same both Patriots working for their people .
Putin did indeed say the truth about Russia and China trying to up grade the quality of their weapons . Ever Since we humiliated both of them in Yugoslavia more than 15 years ago they have been working on improvements .At a airshow in Bangalore India . A Russian plane out flew everything at the show . American Pilots said the best defense would be ejection . They said this plane in a dog fight would likely have a kill ratio of over 10 to 1 . I think Russia has these planes in Syria . When Putin went to Syria he didn’t come to be Humiliated like Yeltsin was in Yugoslavia . The only US planes that could fight with these Russian planes are F 22 and Mc Cain stopped building them because they are to expensive . Now Trump says the F35 is to expensive too . Putin says Russia will not be interested in joining a arms race . He is running a quality race . We always will have a race seems to be the way men are And when you are talking Weapons the Russian always got a lot of weapon for the money . I sure like Trumps idea of just being friends instead
Clearly the nut jobs in D.C. are hellbent on promoting major conflicts. A word to Trump: talking ‘tough’ does not make you tough. The strength America needs is sound leadership and stable policies, here and abroad… Russia is not our enemy but they are not sure whether or not they can be our friend. US policies towards Russia are anything but friendly.