Trump: We need more nukes

[dead0man]

It's all about the profits of arms merchants.

I'm fairly sure nukes are made in Federal buildings by Federal employees.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

It's all about the profits of arms merchants.

I'm fairly sure nukes are made in Federal buildings by Federal employees.

They won't be once Rick Perry abolishes the Department of Energy.

[Meclazine for Israel]

These nukes are for peaceful purposes.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaceful_nuclear_explosion

The nuclear explosions are for road building and construction.

https://youtu.be/13lRtycJM4g

It's called Operation Plowshare.

The foundations of the wall with Mexico will be dug out using small peaceful nuclear explosions.



Nuclear weapons dig the ground much faster than conventional civil engineering techniques.



The Trump administration - keeping your children safe.

[The_Doctor]

Non-story. Trump is as always a businessman and the rebuilding of our aging nukes is something the Obama Administration has been doing. Nothing new, he just wants to stir the nest here and see the birds chirp.

[Person Man]

We certainly need new nukes, not more. Our warheads and ICBMs are from the Kennedy era. The computer systems used by our nuclear launch silos use cardboard punch cards. Bill Gates could've built these systems in his garage by the time 1981 rolled around. This needs to be addressed.

Not all of that is correct, and the reason any of it is true is long and complicated....but the short of it is....off the shelf computer equipment can't (generally) be used in such systems.  It's got to (generally) be made special for a specific task.  It has to have ridiculous reliability numbers.  It's got to be mobile or hardened (or both).  We have to be 100% sure there are no "back doors" or other security issues.  Yeah, sometimes a Dell laptop will work for a given task, but a lot of times it won't.  We are in the process of upgrading the warheads, but that's long and expensive.  Just like designing a new delivery vehicle.

and besides all that, ICBMs are just one arm of the three arm nuclear triad.  The other two arms (subs and birds) are (generally) more modern and probably the most likely to be used next.  ICBMs are for end of the world, The Day After type wars, the odds of one of those are pretty slim, even with the tangerine nightmare as POTUS.

Yeah. It is hard to imagine ICBMs being used, but I can see a B-2, a drone, or an LA class sub reaching its mark in the next 4-8 years. Aren't public policy and military officers talking about using tactical nukes as a way to force things back to the table?

I don't know what you mean by "force things back to the table", tactical nukes CAN (and probably will, eventually) be used in war without:
A.starting WWIII
2.causing permanent hardcore environmental damage
III.harming all that many (if any) civilians

Nukes have a horrible PR department though  and are, rightfully, very scary things.  Of course they should be used only in extreme circumstances and with extreme care, but that's true for a drone, a main battle tank or rifle too.

That said, the DoD will not nuke Caracas 'cause Maduro called the Orange Ape a name.

What about the political ramifications?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Non-story. Trump is as always a businessman and the rebuilding of our aging nukes is something the Obama Administration has been doing. Nothing new, he just wants to stir the nest here and see the birds chirp.

No, he's a reality tv actor and now, as Twit-in-Chief, he is going to demonstrate for the entire world that he's an fsking idiot. The only thing more idiotic than President-elect Pussygrabber is the length his cultists will go to in order to admit they're following a charismatic moron who appeals to all their worse impulses.

[KingSweden]

Should note this may have something to do with T meeting with the Pentagon's deterrence chief yesterday. The idiot shouldn't be tweeting this crap, regardless

[The_Doctor]

No, he's a reality tv actor and now, as Twit-in-Chief, he is going to demonstrate for the entire world that he's an fsking idiot. The only thing more idiotic than President-elect Pussygrabber is the length his cultists will go to in order to admit they're following a charismatic moron who appeals to all their worse impulses.

He needs the attention. Nothing more, nothing less. He got bored and now he has this power to start a thousand articles when he wants, to get people writing about nuclear deterrence, and crap. His cultists will demand fealty to President Trump's great and abiding wisdom, as you read in this thread. Honestly, the Obama bots did the same thing, so nothing new.

Will U.S. nuclear policy actually shift? Without a doubt, no. He would be henpecked to death by the brass, the State Department, the Defense Department, about five different European allies, long before he opened his mouth to even change the policy. Given how insecure his knowledge base is of world politics and international going ons, let alone his inexperience in dealing with the world of politics, Trump will opt to do nothing to change our nuclear posture.

Basically, everything Trump does going forward in foreign policy will be basically dictated by an intricate web of American and European interests who will tie down Trump and allow him to make moves that make sense for the Western alliance. (More increasingly so for America, as we pull back from Europe, the Middle East, and so on).

The net result: we do the minimum and execute foreign policy to a minimum. But we don't do anything bold. Status quo, with a President so inexperienced and unaware of geopolitics that he ends up executing a more Republican version of Obama's foreign policy and staying out of hotspots. 

Should note this may have something to do with T meeting with the Pentagon's deterrence chief yesterday. The idiot shouldn't be tweeting this crap, regardless

That's useful information, to know. So now he tweets everything that comes into his mind and makes everyone aware basically what they discussed. Nice to know that nobody is telling him not to tweet about every single meeting with the brass.

[dead0man]

What about the political ramifications?

What, like a nasty worded letter from the UN or France?  I think we can deal

[Person Man]

What about the political ramifications?

What, like a nasty worded letter from the UN or France?  I think we can deal

Or at home?

[dead0man]

If it's an extreme situation, I don't think the home front would mind.  If it's a less than extreme situation then yeah, there could be some serious ramifications.

[MT Treasurer]

The posters here who said, "boy I'm sure glad Hillary lost, now we won't go to war with Russia," are awfully quiet now.

I mean, there IS zero chance of such a war happening.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

No, he's a reality tv actor and now, as Twit-in-Chief, he is going to demonstrate for the entire world that he's an fsking idiot. The only thing more idiotic than President-elect Pussygrabber is the length his cultists will go to in order to admit they're following a charismatic moron who appeals to all their worse impulses.

He needs the attention. Nothing more, nothing less. He got bored and now he has this power to start a thousand articles when he wants, to get people writing about nuclear deterrence, and crap. His cultists will demand fealty to President Trump's great and abiding wisdom, as you read in this thread. Honestly, the Obama bots did the same thing, so nothing new.

Will U.S. nuclear policy actually shift? Without a doubt, no. He would be henpecked to death by the brass, the State Department, the Defense Department, about five different European allies, long before he opened his mouth to even change the policy. Given how insecure his knowledge base is of world politics and international going ons, let alone his inexperience in dealing with the world of politics, Trump will opt to do nothing to change our nuclear posture.

Basically, everything Trump does going forward in foreign policy will be basically dictated by an intricate web of American and European interests who will tie down Trump and allow him to make moves that make sense for the Western alliance. (More increasingly so for America, as we pull back from Europe, the Middle East, and so on).

The net result: we do the minimum and execute foreign policy to a minimum. But we don't do anything bold. Status quo, with a President so inexperienced and unaware of geopolitics that he ends up executing a more Republican version of Obama's foreign policy and staying out of hotspots. 
[quote]

I hope you're right. But I can't help thinking of this:


Unless he's stopped by the military or the GOP, I think we'll see a US attack on Iran, Venezuela, or some other nation that offends Trump and he thinks he can beat.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

We certainly need new nukes, not more. Our warheads and ICBMs are from the Kennedy era. The computer systems used by our nuclear launch silos use cardboard punch cards. Bill Gates could've built these systems in his garage by the time 1981 rolled around. This needs to be addressed.

Why? It's not as if a nuclear bomb needs to run iOS 10. Simple tends to be more reliable.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

It's all about the profits of arms merchants.

I'm fairly sure nukes are made in Federal buildings by Federal employees.

Also one of the attractions of nukes back during the Cold War was that they were considered cheaper than conventional weapons for deterrence.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

We certainly need new nukes, not more. Our warheads and ICBMs are from the Kennedy era. The computer systems used by our nuclear launch silos use cardboard punch cards. Bill Gates could've built these systems in his garage by the time 1981 rolled around. This needs to be addressed.

Why? It's not as if a nuclear bomb needs to run iOS 10. Simple tends to be more reliable.

As long as the system works if (God forbid) we need it too, then fine.

[publicunofficial]

Reminder that the US has enough nuclear bombs to launch 35 warheads at every nation on Earth.

[Sir Mohamed]

LOL, once again the Trumpster is trolling the world with his inability to understand complex political and international issues. He doesn’t get it why presidents of both parties negotiated an arms reduction, right? These negotiations should be continued and expanded. It needs a new effort that brings in all important players around the world. I thought he is such a great negotiator, why doesn’t he emphasize such talks then? So, if you are so great, then, President-elect Drumpf, show us what a negotiating genius you are. Instead of coming up with nonsense like this, questions of nuclear terrorism (meaning the danger terrorists get these weapons) should also be addressed.

The Trumpster is definitely not up to the job as chief executive. He has neither the temperament nor the knowledge necessary.

[Hermit For Peace]

LOL, once again the Trumpster is trolling the world with his inability to understand complex political and international issues. He doesn’t get it why presidents of both parties negotiated an arms reduction, right? These negotiations should be continued and expanded. It needs a new effort that brings in all important players around the world. I thought he is such a great negotiator, why doesn’t he emphasize such talks then? So, if you are so great, then, President-elect Drumpf, show us what a negotiating genius you are. Instead of coming up with nonsense like this, questions of nuclear terrorism (meaning the danger terrorists get these weapons) should also be addressed.

The Trumpster is definitely not up to the job as chief executive. He has neither the temperament nor the knowledge necessary.

He's playing a reality TV game. It's all he knows.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

We have 4800 nukes...we dont need any more

No surprise the guy who couldnt even explain what a nuclear triad is thinks we need more

Not that the lickspittle press would ever do it, but I really want to see him asked how many nuclear weapons he thinks we have. To the nearest thousand.  And don't let the Chief Deplorable get way with some vague answer like "not enough". Pop his swollen ego by making him look like the total idiot he is. Not that his supporters will care, but every blow to the undead carcass counts.

[Nym90]

Who are we going to raise taxes on to pay for it? Or are we simply going to go into even more massive debt?

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Who are we going to raise taxes on to pay for it? Or are we simply going to go into even more massive debt?

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/311428-gop-considers-holding-off-on-repealing-obamacare-taxes

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[Person Man]

Who are we going to raise taxes on to pay for it? Or are we simply going to go into even more massive debt?

Now you're getting it! For all we know, Trump is going to just fund the Government through inflation.

[The Mikado]

No, he's a reality tv actor and now, as Twit-in-Chief, he is going to demonstrate for the entire world that he's an fsking idiot. The only thing more idiotic than President-elect Pussygrabber is the length his cultists will go to in order to admit they're following a charismatic moron who appeals to all their worse impulses.

He needs the attention. Nothing more, nothing less. He got bored and now he has this power to start a thousand articles when he wants, to get people writing about nuclear deterrence, and crap. His cultists will demand fealty to President Trump's great and abiding wisdom, as you read in this thread. Honestly, the Obama bots did the same thing, so nothing new.

Will U.S. nuclear policy actually shift? Without a doubt, no. He would be henpecked to death by the brass, the State Department, the Defense Department, about five different European allies, long before he opened his mouth to even change the policy. Given how insecure his knowledge base is of world politics and international going ons, let alone his inexperience in dealing with the world of politics, Trump will opt to do nothing to change our nuclear posture.

Basically, everything Trump does going forward in foreign policy will be basically dictated by an intricate web of American and European interests who will tie down Trump and allow him to make moves that make sense for the Western alliance. (More increasingly so for America, as we pull back from Europe, the Middle East, and so on).

The net result: we do the minimum and execute foreign policy to a minimum. But we don't do anything bold. Status quo, with a President so inexperienced and unaware of geopolitics that he ends up executing a more Republican version of Obama's foreign policy and staying out of hotspots. 

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Interesting cartoon. It's dated five days after Hitler took power, though. Within two months, he'd turned Germany into a de facto dictatorship, and within a year and a half turned it into a de jure dictatorship. Hitler did not screw around or footdrag with that process.

[AtorBoltox]

But wait, atlas told me Hillary was the bigger hawk?