Defense Secretary Ash Carter, delivering a speech at Strategic Command headquarters, has ratcheted up ongoing Pentagon calls for massive spending increases, particularly on the creation of new modern nuclear weapons, claiming the current arsenal is becoming “antiquated.”
Carter rattled off a list of potential nuclear “foes,” including Russia, China, North Korea, India, Pakistan, and Iran, insisting that while the US had “under-invested” in nuclear arms all those nations “consistently invested” in such weapons.
The Pentagon has been talking up this modernization scheme for years, and the estimated price tag has continued to rise precipitously throughout, with the plan likely to be well in excess of $1 trillion when all is said and done. Carter, like other Pentagon officials, mostly ignored the cost in his comments, insisting the program is vital.
Despite the US having one of the world’s largest nuclear arsenals, Carter insisted that potential “adversaries” aren’t deterred by them anymore because they’re pretty old, and conceivably some of them might not work. This too has been a recurring argument from the Pentagon.
Yet with the US arsenal large enough to exterminate the entire human race several times over, the possibility that a few percent of the bombs might ultimately be duds because they’re old seems to have minimal logical impact on deterrence.
“Modernization” means for the Defense Dept massively overpriced bleeding edge technology that may or may not even work.
It’s good to hear India and Pakistan being told that they are not “friends” but actually are on the receiving end of the Big Barrel.
Ash Carter, blither, blather, and just plain nuts. Mucho dinero for the MIC.
Lamentablemente, el tipo está loco de remate. It´s the highest form of insanity. In other words, it´s impossible to become more insane. Yes, the most important thing is to be able to commit Suicide 1.500 times. Less won´t do. How on Earth is it possible to be that insane, nuts, bonkers, etc. as in the bloody stupid Suicidal Pentagon ? We need less Nuclear Weapons, NOT more.
Carter is too stupid to understand that if we don´t get rid of Nuclear Weapons, they will get rid of us. First step, of course, would be to reduce to 500 making a first strike impossible. To restore MAD to begin with is our only chance.
Ashton Carter as SecDef has to be among Obama’s stupidest decisions. This guy is a neocon warmonger asshole in the extreme. God only knows what black bag jobs he has authorized. What a fool.
My prediction is HRC will keep him on because HRC sucks.
So much for non-proliferation, huh?
On the other hand, having a nuclear arsenal is supposed to deter other nations from using nuclear weapons, right? If that’s the case, why is the US so afraid of Iran buying or building even a single nuclear device? Isn’t our arsenal doing its job of deterrence? We either have to trust that our deterrence is working and stop whining about Iran or admit that our arsenal is essentially useless.
What a douche. Be very afraid of Iran. Some day they might actually have a nuke and of course it will out modernize our archaic arsenal. What a douche.
Maybe Ass Carter can use a few of those nukes as a suppository.
Are we going to give the old ones to Israel?
the gravy train for the military complex is going on.
There will be peace in this world, universal and perpetual, up to and including the last word spoken by, the last breath of, the last person to be alive.
what is exactly wrong with our existing nukes? will they no longer go bang? Will they not start if it is cold out?
An antiquated weapon M1911 or Lee-Enfield rifle is still plenty lethal.