JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump is studying the expansion of the US nuclear fleet and underground nuclear weapons tests after the end of the control agreement with Russia.
The New York Times, citing a number of senior US officials, reported that the US was reviewing several options for deploying additional nuclear weapons and preparing for the possible resumption of nuclear tests.
The move represents a significant change in US policy that for decades has limited and reduced the number of nuclear warheads on alert.
On February 5, the New START agreement between the US and Russia officially ended. The agreement limits the number of strategic warheads that the two countries can deploy, a maximum of 1,550 units. Trump rejected an informal extension proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On the same day, Trump said the US should seek a new agreement that is "better and more modern" than extending New START with Russia.
US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas DiNanno, who oversees arms control and international security, said at a disarmament forum in Geneva that NewSTART had imposed "unilateral restrictions" on the US and confirmed that the US was now free to strengthen its nuclear capabilities.
Another option Trump is considering is maximizing existing nuclear capacity and reactivating a stockpile of nuclear warheads that have been stored.
One possible step would be to reactivate missile launch tubes on US Navy Ohio-class submarines that were previously restricted by the treaty. The move would allow the US to deploy submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
Some experts believe the policy is aimed at pressuring Russia and China to agree to negotiate a new arms control treaty. Other experts warn that the US move could trigger a wider arms race.
Trump has called for the resumption of nuclear tests that he says are "equivalent" to those carried out by Russia and China.
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