Trump Is Very Confused About Nuclear Weapons

"The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country. This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office. Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years. Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis."

"Almost none of this is right. Russia has the world's largest stockpile of nuclear bombs, largely because the Russians are still holding on to a lot of smaller tactical weapons designed for use on a battlefield. Trump is correct that China is much further back; the People's Republic probably has something like 600 warheads, meaning that it would have to produce almost 1,000 bombs a year to reach parity with the U.S. or Russia by the end of the decade."

The president announced immediate resumption of U.S. nuclear weapons testing and claimed the United States has the largest and newly renovated arsenal completed during his first term. Those claims are incorrect: Russia maintains the world's largest stockpile, in part because of many smaller tactical weapons. China likely has about 600 warheads and would need to produce roughly 1,000 per year to reach parity with the U.S. or Russia by 2030. The president directed the Department of War to begin testing. The combination of factual errors and sole presidential authority over nuclear use raises serious concerns.

Read at The Atlantic