In Support of the American Nuclear Arsenal

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In Support of the American Nuclear Arsenal August 5, 1945. A day that the entire world will remember, as it was the day that the first of two nuclear strikes against Japan ended World War Two. Although at the time “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” were the lesser of two evils, they started an arms race like the world has never seen. The Soviet Union, America, Great Britain, France, and later China, all started to produce nuclear weapons. The arsenals of these countries would soon number in the tens of thousands. Recently there have been pushes to rid the world of these weapons that can kill an entire city with a single push of a button. Although these weapons are in the eyes of several governments a necessary tool to have, the public, however, disagrees. The Americans in particular have been debating the issue for several years. But for America to still pose a threat to other countries, the nuclear arsenal of the United States of America should not be completely depleted but upgraded and decreased to where our enemies still fear us. But we have to make sure that we do not break the bank in the process. But before we get to the whys and why not’s about nuclear weapons, it is important to understand how Nuclear weapons work, how they are so deadly and why countries want them. Nuclear weapons get their power from harnessing the power of nature. According to atomicarchive.com a nuclear weapon gains it’s lethality from certain isotopes of Uranium or Plutonium which can cause a nuclear chain reaction. In a nuclear reaction an atom of either Uranium 235 or Plutonium 239, attracts a neutron that when it bonds with the atom it makes the atom explode and send out two more neutrons. Then the two neutrons released by the first reaction makes two... ... middle of paper ... ...he American Defense forces as long as a threat of Nuclear Attack by another country remains. Works Cited DeNardi, Candice. "Fact Sheet: The Basics of Nuclear Weapons." The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. (2013): 69-97 Business Source Premier. Web. 20 Apr 2014. Krieger, David. "The Costs of Nuclear Weapons." Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. (2011): 72-87. Business Source Premier Web. 22 Apr 2014. Kristensen, Hans. "Status of World Nuclear Forces.” Federation of American Scientists (2012): 324-328. Business Source Premier Web. 20 Apr 2014. Priest, Dana. "Aging U.S. nuclear arsenal slated for costly and long-delayed modernization." Washington Post. 85-94. Business Source Premier Web. 21 Sep. 2014. Scott, Len. "Labour and the Bomb: The First 80 Years." International Affairs (2006): 685-700. Business Source Premier. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

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