Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

  • Policy Issues
    • Countries
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Non-Proliferation
    • Nuclear Security
    • Biological & Chemical Weapons
    • Defense Spending
    • Missile Defense
    • No First Use
  • Nukes of Hazard
    • Podcast
    • Blog
    • Videos
  • Join Us
  • Press
  • About
    • Staff
    • Boards & Experts
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Financials
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Search
You are here: Home / Press Room / Center in the News / Why Does Trump Want to Spend Billions on New Nukes?

February 12, 2020

Why Does Trump Want to Spend Billions on New Nukes?

Senior Science Fellow Philip Coyle spoke with The Daily Beast about President Trump’s proposed increase in the nuclear weapons budget.

“It would be remarkable if NNSA could get to 20 pits per year,” Phil Coyle, a nuclear expert with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington, D.C., told The Daily Beast.

But in merely trying to spend billions of dollars on new pits, the United States signals to the world its intention to preserve and even expand its nuclear arsenal for a century or longer. And if the effort failed, America could start a new atomic arms race without actually building the pits it might need to actually compete in that same arms race.

“From an arms-control point of view, broadcasting that NNSA is trying to double the size of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, when it is extremely unlikely that NNSA could do it, will bring all of the blowback you’d expect from Russia and China, and no benefits to U.S. security at home,” Coyle explained. Read more

Posted in: Asia, Center in the News, China, Press & In the News on Nuclear Weapons Spending, Press & In the News on Pentagon Budget, Press Room, Security Spending, United States

Newsletter

Sign up for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation's monthly newsletter to get a rundown of top stories delivered to your inbox each month.
Tweets by Nukes of Hazard

Recent Posts

  • STATEMENT ON THE APPOINTMENT OF ALEXANDRA BELL AS DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE IN THE BUREAU OF ARMS CONTROL, VERIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE January 22, 2021
  • Fact Sheet: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Modernization: Costs & Constraints January 22, 2021
  • STATEMENT ON BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO EXTEND NEW START FOR FIVE YEARS  January 21, 2021
  • Joe Biden’s Plan to Extend Russia Nuclear Treaty Praised by Arms Control Groups January 21, 2021
  • Fact Sheet: The Nuclear Triad January 21, 2021
Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

820 1st Street NE, Suite LL-180
Washington, D.C. 20002
Phone: 202.546.0795

Issues

  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Non-Proliferation
  • Nuclear Security
  • Defense Spending
  • Biological and Chemical Weapons
  • Missile Defense
  • No First Use

Countries

  • China
  • France
  • India and Pakistan
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • North Korea
  • Russia
  • United Kingdom

Explore

  • Nukes of Hazard blog
  • Nukes of Hazard podcast
  • Nukes of Hazard videos
  • Front and Center
  • Fact Sheets

About

  • About
  • Meet the Staff
  • Boards & Experts
  • Press
  • Jobs & Internships
  • Financials
  • Contact Us
  • Council for a Livable World
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

© 2021 Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Privacy Policy

Charity Navigator GuideStar Seal of Transparency