Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, in the last of three debates, on Wednesday repeated their arguments over the nuclear weapon-related dangers of their opponent’s potential presidency, touching on the strategic stability between the United States and Russia.
Commenting on the two nations’ strained relationship, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly “outsmarted” Clinton and the Obama administration in international security. “We’re in very serious trouble. Because we have a country with tremendous numbers of warheads, 1,800, by the way. Where they expanded and we didn’t; 1,800 nuclear warheads. And she is playing chicken.”
Trump added that “They create warheads, and we can’t,” a seeming reference to the bilateral New START accord, which requires each nation by Feb. 5, 2018, to hold no more than 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and similarly limits the number of deployed and nondeployed delivery systems.
The treaty does not prohibit development of new nuclear warheads, The Associated Press noted. Both Russia and the United States are working to modernize their nuclear arsenals.
The latest strategic arsenal figures under New START from the U.S. State Department show that while the U.S. has reduced its number of deployed strategic warheads over time (to 1,367 as of Sept. 1), Russia has increased its own numbers (to 1,796).
While analysts note Russia’s increase in strategic warheads is only a temporary change ahead of the 2018 deadline for treaty compliance, the latest data caused House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) to comment that “while we cut our U.S. nuclear forces, the Russians have built more.”
Clinton again labeled Trump “cavalier” and “casual” about nuclear-weapon use, citing his previous comments suggesting he would support U.S. allies’ development of their own nuclear weapons – including Japan and South Korea.
“He’s said if we have them, why don’t we use them, which I think is terrifying,” Clinton said. “But here’s the deal: The bottom line on nuclear weapons is that when the president gives the order, it must be followed. There is about four minutes between the order being given and the people responsible for launching nuclear weapons to do so. And that is why 10 people who have had that awesome responsibility have come out and in an unprecedented way said they would not trust Donald Trump with the nuclear codes or to have his finger on the nuclear button.”
Clinton was referring to a joint statement issued last week by 10 former Air Force nuclear launch officers.
In response, Trump noted endorsements from “200 generals and admirals,” and argued again that the U.S. should be fairly financially compensated for defending allied countries. “We cannot continue to afford. She took that as saying nuclear weapons.”
