A Pentagon chart misleadingly suggests the U.S. is falling behind in a nuclear arms race

The following article by Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website February 12, 2018:

Credit: Michael Reynolds/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

“As you can see demonstrated in this chart … nuclear delivery system development over the last eight years shows numerous advances by Russia, China and North Korea versus the near absence of such activity by the United States, with competitors and adversaries developing 34 new systems as compared to only one for the U.S. — the F-35 aircraft.”
— Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, in remarks to the House Armed Services Committee, Feb. 6, 2018

A former colleague suggested that a chart published in the Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) might be worthy of a fact check, saying it reminded him of exaggerations concerning Soviet military power during the Reagan administration. Ordinarily, a chart buried in a government report might not merit a fact check, but clearly it’s important to the administration. As shown in the quote above, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis even cited it in testimony before Congress. Continue reading “A Pentagon chart misleadingly suggests the U.S. is falling behind in a nuclear arms race”