Under President Donald Trump, nothing is safe — not even the United States’ commitment to nuclear nonproliferation. He’s previously adamantly pushed the expansion and possible usage of American nuclear capabilities, and with a questionable holiday tweet, it seemed this week as though the military had gotten on board with that concept.
The U.S. Strategic Command — which would oversee the usage of any nuclear weapons — posted a video of a B-2 stealth bombing jet dropping massive weapons on a not immediately identified target down below that Stratcom eventually identified as a test range somewhere in the United States. Accompanying the video, the command insisted that “if ever needed, we are ready to drop something much, much bigger” than the famous ball that’s dropped in New York’s Times Square to ring in the new year.
The post was deleted after a few hours, but not before the backlash could ensue.
Former Office of Government Ethics director Walter Shaub asked:
‘What kind of maniacs are running this country?’
What kind of maniacs are running this country? pic.twitter.com/0glVs2ee25
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) December 31, 2018
After all, the threat of major war — even including the usage of nuclear weapons — has hung over the world plenty in the not at all distant past. North Korea has belligerently developed a nuclear program that might be able to wipe out major American cities at this point — and recently, the people of Hawaii were sent into a panic with a false emergency alert that such an attack was incoming.
There was no actual ballistic missile, but you’d hope that the whole issue wouldn’t be taken lightly by those responsible for dealing with — and hopefully diffusing — such a situation.
In the aftermath of their failure, Stratcom issued an apology:
‘Our previous NYE tweet was in poor taste & does not reflect our values. We apologize. We are dedicated to the security of America & allies.’
It’s a sad day when a unified command of the United States military responsible for international operations like nuclear weapons has to remind people that they’re “dedicated to the security of America.” That should be a given.
Previously, Trump has touted American military and specifically nuclear capabilities. In October, he claimed that the nation would bolster its nuclear arsenal “until people come to their senses,” alleging that Russia had violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. Not even Russia is safe from Trump’s commitment to upending the status quo, treaties and all.
Trump has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and the two leaders even signed an agreement — the looming question, however, is whether that agreement actually represents anything substantive whatsoever. North Korea is believed to have continued their nuclear weapons work, while Trump has jumped into concessions like withdrawing the United States from joint military exercises with the South Koreans. Kim said this week that he’s ready to meet with Trump again, although he warned against misjudging “the patience of our people.”
Trump has previously threatened to wipe North Korea off the map and bragged that his nuclear button is bigger than Kim’s, but more recently, he said that he and the leader fell in love.
Go figure.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
