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Experts shared terrifying warnings in May about U.S. nuclear capabilities compared to China’s rapid development.
America’s nuclear stockpiles have plummeted to levels “not seen since the 1960s,” according to CBN, while China continues to invest huge efforts in increasing their nuclear weapon capabilities to an “unprecedented” level. Some estimates suggest the U.S. has just 1,700 nuclear weapons, the newest of which is more than 35 years old. Our military has also withdrawn many of our nuclear weapons from across our Asian bases, meaning the U.S. has no nuclear option in the Pacific should China invade Taiwan.
“All of this requires urgent action,” Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Reagan administration Frank Gaffney, host of “Securing America,” told the outlet. “All of that has essentially gone over the side. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is, having experienced all of that, to see what we are hoping that nobody notices that we haven’t done a whole lot with our nuclear deterrent since I left the Pentagon.”
China, Global Threat Continues To Loom
China has tripled the size of its nuclear arsenal in the last five years, becoming the world’s fastest growing nuclear superpower. “I think that they are increasing the size of their nuclear arsenal, because they want to use it to coerce others into standing down,” China expert Gordon Change explained to CBN.
The Chinese Communist Party is said to have taken note from Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who used the threat of nuclear war to advance his operations in Ukraine, and limit Western involvement in the war. “So the Chinese saw that this actually works. I think that they will precede any invasion of Taiwan, Japan, whatever, with threats to use their nuclear weapons to get the U.S. not to come to the aid of its friends and partners,” Chang stated.
China’s mentality toward nuclear war is much different to the U.S. “They never bought this idea that Ronald Reagan, my mild and much-revered boss, famously said, which is ‘a nuclear war, can never be won and must never be fought.’ They don’t buy that. They believe nuclear war is a thing – a nuclear war is something that can be used decisively,” Gaffney mused.
Concerns of nuclear provocation were most recently raised by India and Pakistan. Though experts such as Ankit Panda felt this was also a type of nuclear blackmail (also called a nuclear deterrence, such as that used by Putin), it could be that the old methods of nuclear signaling aren’t as sufficient in their deterrence as they used to be.
What Happens Next?
Experts want the U.S. to return some of our nuclear weapons to our bases across the Pacific. Though this may face significant opposition from political leaders, it may be necessary given the growing threat of nuclear attacks from Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
But would returning nuclear weapons to these bases be provocative? Vox argued that because humanity has lived with these threats for 80 years, as of 2025, we sometimes take our peace for granted.
Several European nations are repeatedly discussing building up their nuclear arsenal, as of the last few weeks (from time of writing). South Korea is actively debating the development of a more substantial nuclear program. Vox notes how President Donald Trump has actively proposed “denuclearization” talks with Russia and China, something that experts like Chang think is unlikely to come to fruition.
International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Mariano Grossi told journalists in late May that the U.S. and Iran may be in a place to come to an agreement over their nuclear capabilities. “For the moment, the jury is still out,” Grossi noted, but seemed a little lighter when adding that it is a good sign that both nations are continuing to meet on the matter.
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