Trump wants to expand US nuclear capabilities

By Kasim Ileri

WASHINGTON

President-elect Donald Trump vowed Thursday to expand U.S. nuclear capabilities to change global thinking.

“The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes,” Trump tweeted. It remains unclear what exactly he meant by “comes to its senses”.

The message on social media came after Russian President Vladimir Putin urged his country to boost its own nuclear arsenal.

“We need to strengthen the military potential of strategic nuclear forces, especially with missile complexes that can reliably penetrate any existing and prospective missile defense systems,” Putin reportedly said earlier Thursday.

According to Trump’s website, he “recognizes the uniquely catastrophic threats posed by nuclear weapons” but the website also said he would ensure America’s nuclear arsenal would continue to serve as a deterrent.

During his campaign, Trump occasionally advocated for the use of nuclear weapons in the fight against terrorism.

He also believes the weapons should be off the table but there might be a time when they could be used.

Trump met Wednesday with his national security team, a majority of whom are retired generals and admirals.