Why We Shouldn’t Cut Our Nuclear Program While Russia Expands Its Own

If President Obama gets his way, America would draw down its nuclear deterrent even as Russia expands its own nuclear arsenal.

The United States possesses nuclear weapons for two reasons, Heritage Foundation expert Michaela Dodge explains: to protect our country and to protect our allies.

For decades, these weapons have been maintained both in the U.S. and in allied countries in Europe. Maintaining weapons overseas bolsters our national security interests, reassures our allies, and deters our adversaries.

But while the Obama administration has failed to fund critical nuclear programs, Russia is building up its arsenal:

– Russia is taking a different approach to the maintenance of its nuclear stockpile. Not only did Moscow launch the most substantive nuclear weapons modernization program since New START was signed, it has also conducted yield-producing experiments allowing its workforce to maintain technical proficiency and to possibly improve its nuclear weapons designs.

The administration must seek to increase U.S. military strength and develop our nuclear capabilities. Specifically, Dodge argues for funding the B61 Life Extension Program, which would extends the usefulness of our nuclear weapons in Europe. Advancing a “protect and defend” strategy, she says, would show America’s commitment to transatlantic security.

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