“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw
Mar 11, 2025
LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS of TODAY with the RISKS and CONSEQUENCES of TOMORROW
In My Opinion:
This is my 3rd consecutive daily post regarding Trump’s huge mistake of frightening other free world NATO and other countries. Until Trump arrived for the second time around, these countries relied on the United States to help keep them safe from nuclear war, but his proposed nuclear arms policies have boomeranged into a typical Trump miscalculation that could spread never before considered proliferation of nuclear weapons of mass destruction. These proliferation, and nuclear arms along potential nuclear war articles, including potential conflicts with Iran, North Korea, and other countries are creating an international mistrust of Trump — and therefore, by association, the United States of America, also meaning you and me.
There are other stories that I have skipped over due to time and space on this and earlier blog posts, and there is one in particular from “Forbes” in TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS listings below that is in a video format that I chose not to use, but because it is from Steve Forbes himself, expressing his own major concern about Trump’s actions causing unwanted nuclear proliferation I am posting the link just below to make it easy for you to watch and listen to what Forbes has to say:
The World Is Unraveling—Can The U.S. Stop Possible Nuclear Warfare? – Forbes
Trump is also out of control on all domestic fronts, as we are all quickly learning, evidently in the process into turning the United States of America into what amounts to a 3rd-world country occupied by the new USSR. ~llaw
A 2017 ballistic missile test by the South Korean military. South Korea may be the non-nuclear U.S. ally that is closest to building its own nuclear weapons. South Korea Defense Ministry via NUR
Threats
Experts fear cascade of nuclear proliferation as Trump shakes alliances
U.S. allies contemplate the once-unthinkable: building their own nuclear arsenals.
March 10, 2025 07:44 PM ET
U.S. allies around the world are warming to the idea of developing their own nuclear weapons, the result of a growing sense that U.S. President Donald Trump may abandon key international security commitments and alliances, former senior defense and White House officials told Defense One.
Decades of nonproliferation efforts to persuade countries to forgo nuclear weapons, work led by the United States through security guarantees, are on the verge of collapse, the officials said. Should one or two nations launch nuclear projects, others will quickly follow. That could provoke a military response from Russia or China, which might touch off yet more nuclear development in a self-reinforcing, destabilizing cycle.
What’s changed in the last two weeks?
“The Trump administration’s approach to Ukraine and Russia has significantly undercut allied confidence in the United States, including on extended [nuclear] deterrence,” Eric Brewer, a former director for counterproliferation at the National Security Council. “Not only is [Trump] pivoting away from allies but he’s seemingly pivoting toward Russia.”
The shift has shaken U.S. allies. France—the only NATO member with a nuclear arsenal that doesn’t depend on U.S. technology—hastened to shore up European deterrence by proposing to extend its nuclear “umbrella” to other countries.
“I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our European continental allies through our deterrence,” French President Emmanuel Macron said last week.
Leaders from Berlin to the Baltics quickly praised the idea.
German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz on Sunday said, “We should talk with both countries [France and Britain], always also from the perspective of supplementing the American nuclear shield, which we of course want to see maintained.”
But the French proposal leaves many questions unanswered. If France is to convince other nations to huddle under its nuclear umbrella, said one former senior White House senior official who worked on nuclear issues, Paris will need to launch a diplomatic campaign and be willing to share a great deal more information, including classified information, about nuclear decision-making and capabilities—much as the United States did in the 1960s.
In the past, similar proposals have led NATO allies to begin talks, but they collapsed over issues such as who would control the weapons, a former senior defense official said.
“There’s just a lot of questions here about what the French are offering, whether they may really be willing to provide a dual key with Germany for weapons if they put them on German territory for instance. I suspect not,” they said.
Indeed, soon after his initial announcement, Macron clarified that France would not share its warheads with other countries.
Uncertainty
France’s nuclear arsenal of about 290 warheads is larger than Britain’s (under 225) but far smaller than Russia’s (nearly 6,000). Neither has Russia’s diversity of warhead sizes and delivery systems. The U.K.’s small and expensive nuclear submarine fleet is undergoing modernization. France has air-launched cruise missiles. Russia has land-based mobile launchers, siloed ICBMs, bombers, and submarines.
There’s a reason Europe made no attempt to keep up with Russia’s weapons development. Western Europe has always relied on the vast U.S. arsenal to deter Russia.
But, the former senior defense official explained, France had a different deterrence strategy: hold just one or two major targets, like Moscow or St. Petersburg, in jeopardy.
The U.S. idea “was that we were going to develop counter-force capability”—that is, weapons to disable or destroy an enemy’s nuclear capability—“try and take out Soviet weapon systems, command and control, leadership; and try and not go after cities if we could avoid it. The French have never had that kind of compunction. The basis of their strategy was ‘tear an arm off the bear.’ They never thought they could really take on the entire Soviet nuclear force.”
In other words, Paris and London can’t destroy Russia’s ability to wage nuclear war—even enough of it to prevent the obliteration of both countries and more of Europe as well. That isn’t particularly reassuring to European leaders who believe that their countries would be a secondary priority for France should Russia attack.
That may be why Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday that his country must “reach for opportunities related to nuclear weapons”—perhaps hinting at launching its own development effort.
Proliferation triggers
But the real trigger for a new arms race may sit outside of Europe, the officials warned.
All of the former officials we spoke to said that South Korea is the U.S. ally that is furthest along in pursuing a new nuclear weapons program. The country feels “the most pressure right now,” said the former senior White House official. That’s true across South Korea’s political elites, including “the opposition party that may win the next election.”
Should Seoul start hunting for the fuel to build such a device, Tokyo would likely launch a program of its own, they said, since Japan and South Korea are not treaty allies but do have hundreds of years of conflict history.
“I find it hard to believe you’d see a Japan-and-South Korea joint nuclear weapons development project,” said the former senior defense official.
All the officials we spoke to agreed that if one nation starts a nuclear-weapon program, others will likely do so as well.
“Proliferation will beget more proliferation,” said the former senior White House official.
Trump’s recent talk of abandoning treaty allies is not the only change that may push other nations toward nuclearization. He has also hinted that he might withdraw U.S. troops from certain countries, such as Japan or European nations. This would remove a “tripwire” that helps deter foreign attack, the former senior defense official said, and would cause a host government to consider new ways to deter attack on its own.
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There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:
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Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.
A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.
Oddly, only 3 categories have media stories today, but that does not mean things are getting better . . .
TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Tuesday, (03/11/2025)
All Things Nuclear
NEWS
What could small nuclear reactors mean for Eagle Mountain’s future? Residents & experts weigh in
YouTube
… about all things nuclear power. FULL STORY: https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/northern-utah/what-could-small-nuclear-reactors-mean-for …
More North Korean missiles, US-ROK drills and a nuke submarine inspection – YouTube
YouTube
… all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts … North Korea unveils its first tactical nuclear attack submarine | DW News.
Trump administration aims to cancel oil reserve sales, support small nuclear power – Yahoo
Yahoo
We asked an expert all about lorazepam, the addictive anti-anxiety medication that’s been popping up on season 3 of ‘The White Lotus.’ Cosmopolitan.
Nuclear Power
NEWS
Alphabet aims to slash cost of new nuclear with small reactor deployments, CIO says
CNBC
More nuclear power has to be part of the U.S. energy mix, Alphabet Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat said. But the U.S. needs to move as soon as …
Friedrich Merz’s Germany Is Rethinking Nuclear Weapons and Energy – Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy
… nuclear power plant on August 4, 2022 in Essenbach, Germany. Lennart Preiss/Getty Images. My FP: Follow topics and authors to get straight to what …
Small Nuclear Power Struggles at Cusp of US Electricity Demand Boom – USNews.com
USNews.com
By Timothy Gardner. HOUSTON (Reuters) – Everyone from the U.S. energy secretary to Big Tech touts small modular nuclear reactors as a potential ..
Nuclear Power Emergencies
NEWS
US Considers Emergency Powers to Restart Closed Coal Plants – Financial Post
Financial Post
Trump, in his first term, attempted efforts to throw a life-line to cash-strapped coal and nuclear power plants, including a plan to invoke emergency …
An accident at a nuclear power plant occurred in Finland – EADaily
EADaily
A container is a device that ensures radiation safety in case of emergency situations at a nuclear power plant. Prevents the release of radioactive …
US orders non-emergency staff to leave South Sudan as tensions rise | News.az
News.az
The 2018 power-sharing agreement between the two stopped the … North Korea announces development of nuclear …
Nuclear War Threats
NEWS
Experts fear cascade of nuclear proliferation as Trump shakes alliances – Defense One
Defense One
Air Force braces for new nuclear–war scenarios … Pentagon’s annual China-power report notes nuclear, influence threats—but also corruption.
Nuclear Proliferation Will Haunt ‘America First’ – War on the Rocks
War on the Rocks
… War II grand strategy, tossing aside hard-built alliances, norms on global trade, and much else. Coercive tariff threats, territorial expansionist …
Experts fear cascade of nuclear proliferation as Trump shakes alliances – Defense One
Defense One
That may be why Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday that his country must “reach for opportunities related to nuclear weapons”—perhaps …
Nuclear War
NEWS
The World Is Unraveling—Can The U.S. Stop Possible Nuclear Warfare? – Forbes
Forbes
Steve Forbes warns that multiple nations’ interest in acquiring their own nuclear arsenals, coupled with a volatile global economy, is pushing the …
‘Beyond anything…’: Trump warns of ‘big monster’ nuclear weapons that pose ‘greatest’ threat to US
The Economic Times
The US president Donald Trump said he thinks nuclear weapons are more dangerous threat than the climate crisis. Trump spoke of the dangers of …
Defying U.N., North Korea vows to strengthen nuclear capability | Reuters
Reuters
North Korea vowed on Friday to further strengthen its nuclear weapons capability, in spite of U.N. condemnation and sanctions, and said it would …
Yellowstone Caldera
NEWS
Worse than Yellowstone: 3 supervolcanoes that could cause a global catastrophe
Ecoportal
NBC News claims that about 6,000 miles away, in the Long Valley Caldera, a volcano in eastern California that is next to Mammoth Mountain, geologists …
Fuego Volcano Volcanic Ash Advisory: VA EMS CONT to 13000 ft (4000 m)
Volcano Discovery
Its vast caldera has an amazing moonscape and several … List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano.