CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
  • Travel
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Right Richter
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    SCIENCE
    • Hunt for the Cure
    • Rabbit Hole
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDBs Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      HALF-FULL
        CULTURE
        • Power Trip
        • Fashion
        • Books
        • Royalist
        TECH
        • Disinformation
        SCOUTED
        • Face Masks
        • Clothing
        • Technology
        • Bedroom
        • Kitchen
        • Home
        • Fitness
        • The Case For
        • I'm Looking For
        • New Kids On the Block
        COUPONS
        • Adidas Promo Codes
        • DoorDash Promo Codes
        • H&M Coupons
        • Hotwire Promo Codes
        • Wine.com Discounts
        • Vitacost Coupons
        • Spanx Promo Codes
        • StubHub Promo Codes
        Products
        NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
        FOLLOW US
        GOT A TIP?

        SEARCH

        HOMEPAGE

        Do We Still Need Nukes? Yep, Says Head of Strategic Command

        NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE

        Admiral Cecil Haney says the U.S. still shouldn’t scrap its nuclear weapons.

        Nathan Place

        Updated Apr. 13, 2017 5:34PM ET / Published Mar. 31, 2016 1:12PM ET 

        -/AFP/Getty

        Today the United States has 4,600 nuclear weapons, and is planning to spend up to $1 trillion over the next 30 years refurbishing them. But in the post-Cold War era, is that really necessary?

        Admiral Cecil D. Haney, head of the U.S. Strategic Command, says it is.

        “We have to maintain strategic stability as a first and foremost principle," Haney said.

        There are a number of ways nuclear weapons do this, he says. The first one is the most obvious—they deter our enemies (e.g., North Korea) and frenemies (e.g., Russia) from doing anything truly catastrophic.

        But there’s also an important effect nukes have on our allies, Haney says.

        “We don’t want the allies we provide assurance to, and what have you, to decide that they want to develop their own capability,” he said. “That would be a bad state of affairs.”

        In other words, a strong nuclear stockpile may actually do more to prevent proliferation than it does to perpetuate it.

        Or, as Donald Trump once put it, “With nuclear, the power, the devastation is very important to me.”

        READ THIS LIST

        DAILY BEAST
        • Podcasts
        • Cheat Sheet
        • Politics
        • Crime
        • Entertainment
        • Media
        • Covid-19
        • Half Full
        • U.S. News
        • Scouted
        • Travel
        • Subscription
        • Crossword
        • Newsletters
        • Podcasts
        • About
        • Contact
        • Tips
        • Jobs
        • Advertise
        • Help
        • Privacy
        • Code of Ethics & Standards
        • Diversity
        • Terms & Conditions
        • Copyright & Trademark
        • Sitemap
        • Coupons
        © 2022 The Daily Beast Company LLC