Trump’s new nuclear defense pick once wrote, “America must be ready to nuke first.” New Republic, Emily Atkin, 21 July 17 The White House announced a slew of nominations earlier this week to fill some of the many open positions in the administration. The last on the list was Guy B. Roberts, whom Trump tapped to be the assistant secretary for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs at the Department of Defense. In this role, Roberts will “prevent, protect against, and respond to weapons of mass destruction threats,” according to the DOD website. He’ll also advise the secretary of defense in “matters concerning nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs.” ……..
During the campaign, Trump took a terrifyingly casual attitude toward nukes, saying America should “greatly strengthen and expand” its capability. Two Democratic senators introduced a bill this year that would essentially pry the nuclear football out of Trump’s hands by mandating that America can never launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike. But unlike other countries, the U.S. has always kept the option of first-use on the table. If that hasn’t changed under less hawkish presidents, it almost certainly won’t change under Trump.https://newrepublic.com/minutes/143978/trumps-new-nuclear-defense-pick-wrote-america-must-ready-nuke-first
