US still keeps hundreds of nukes in silos

The United States still has hundreds of nuclear missiles that have stood war-ready for decades in underground silos along remote stretches of the country, says an analysis.

The missiles, “packed with almost unimaginable destructive power,” are capable of obliterating people and places halfway around the globe if a US president orders, according to the article written by Associated Press national security writer Robert Burns.

The article however doubts about the future defense role of the missiles, arguing that proliferation of nuclear arms is too costly and that the weapons would fail to restrain new security threats like “terrorism” and “cyber” attacks.

It says that Pentagon Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel endorsed a 2012 report, conducted by a group called Global Zero, which said the United States’ ICBM “has lost its central utility” in nuclear deterrence.

The article claims the US “sees less use for nuclear weapons and aims to one day eliminate them, possibly starting with the missiles.” It refers to President Obama’s remarks last summer, saying that Obama “directed the military to come up with new non-nuclear strike options.”

Recent reports show the US Department of Defense is still planning to spend billions of dollars on nuclear weapons.

On Friday, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that strategic nuclear forces would cost the Pentagon $132 billion over the next 10 years. That would include $20 billion for the international ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, alone.

According to the AP, the Pentagon will also need another $56 billion for the 10-year cost of communications and other systems required to command and control the whole nuclear force.