Nuclear arms race: US planning to spend $140bn to upgrade atomic arsenal

A new report reveals that the United States plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars  on modernizing its nuclear arsenal.

"The United States plans to spend about $138 billion on nuclear warhead modernization through the Department of Energy between fiscal years 2024 and 2049," a report by the Roscongress Foundation said.  

"The pace of modernization of the US nuclear arsenal is accelerating. In 2023, the Pentagon received more than 200 upgraded nuclear warheads, the largest annual delivery since the end of the Cold War." 

Another $500 billion is expected to be spent on stockpile management, the foundation said. It added that the number of people employed by the nuclear modernization program has increased by more than 70 per cent over the past decade.

The upgrade plan also includes submarines carrying nuclear warheads, missiles, and strategic bombers.

"Starting in the 2030s, Ohio submarines equipped with ballistic missiles will be replaced with Columbia atomic missile carriers... In its budget request for 2025, the US Navy included $9.9 billion for the Columbia class submarine," Roscongress added.

The new submarines are expected to be equipped with Trident II submarine missiles, which will complete the second phase of life extension to ensure serviceability and reliability throughout the deployment of Columbias, the report said. 

The triad's air components consist of 46 B-52H strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons and 20 B-2A nuclear strategic bombers, it noted.  

"By 2050, they will be fully replaced with B-21 Raider next-generation bombers, which will enter service starting in 2027. The Pentagon intends to acquire 100 such aircraft. The new bombers will be equipped with B61-12 and B61-13 aerial bombs, as well as with a new extended range cruise missile, the AGM-181 Long Range Stand Off Weapon [LRSO]," the report read.

Plan signals beginning of arms race 

Elsewhere in the report, the foundation warned that the plan could generate a new nuclear arms race with China and Russia 

"The implementation of large-scale programs by the US to modernize nuclear warheads, replace nuclear weapons carriers, and increase the production capacity of enterprises for research and development of nuclear weapons in fact opens an arms race with Russia and China," the report said.

The report comes as United States and Russia are, in fact, upgrading their nuclear arsenals with new and more powerful weapons, while China has begun a major expansion of its own arsenal.

Since beginning of the Ukraine conflict, Russia has repeatedly threatened to employ nuclear munitions in response to unspecified future actions of the US and NATO in support of Ukrainian forces.

Russia carries out exercises with mobile nuclear missile units

Russia conducts military drills with mobile nuclear missile launchers.

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has accused the US of trying to prolong the conflict in Ukraine and provoking confrontations with China and  across other parts of the world.

Citing those very threats, along with China’s growing military might, US Congress has authorized a program to develop more “lower-yield” nuclear munitions supposedly meant to provide a US president with further “options” in the event of a future regional conflict with Russia or China.

US military nuclear commander warns America is falling behind China

A senior American military commander who oversees the US nuclear weapons program has called on the United States to significantly upgrade its military capabilities, warning that China is developing nuclear weapons faster than the US.

The US and Russia remain the world’s largest holders and developers of nuclear weapons, followed by Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and the Israeli regime, which has not declared its possession of nuclear warheads. The regime does not allow any international inspection of its nuclear facilities either.

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