Letter: We already have more nukes than needed

OK, so Donald Trump tweets, “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.” What are to make of that?

It is true that we need to know if our arsenal will actually work. Much of it is very old, as I remember studying Minuteman fuel grain cracks back in the ’70’s, and a version of that missile is still in our stockpile. We are currently already in a multi-year, trillion-dollar upgrade. Is that what he is talking about?

We already have nearly 7,000 targetable warheads. Is that what he wants to increase? I suspect we need several hundred, or less, that actually work. A side point, but one of the good things then-Sen. Barack Obama did, working with Sen. Richard Lugar, was a major reduction in warheads, hence our MOX project here in South Carolina that is supposed to safely reuse this plutonium in conventional reactors.

Trump also reportedly has told folks, “Let there be an arms race,” which, if true, is the last thing we need. As stated, we do need several reliable delivery systems that will work if ever called on, God forbid. But we probably don’t even need all of what is on the table, let alone more, or a new arms race. What stupidity! I wish I could think of a stronger word. If you think we are broke now, just wait.

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Letter: We already have more nukes than needed."