WASHINGTON − In a farewell address, a departing official from the Biden administration cautioned against the danger of a nuclear arms race reminiscent of the Cold War.

Jill Hruby, the leader of the National Nuclear Security Administration, emphasized that the United States cannot outpace Russia and China in nuclear weapons development in the coming years, despite the ongoing modernization of its nuclear arsenal, which is projected to cost $1.7 trillion.

Hruby stated, “A nuclear arms race benefits no one,” during her address at the Hudson Institute, the organization responsible for managing and safeguarding America’s nuclear tools.

Experts in arms control have highlighted concerns about a potentially expensive arms race that could involve the U.S., Russia, and China. The existing treaty between Russia and the United States that limits nuclear weapon deployments, known as New START, is set to expire in early 2025.

According to Pentagon officials, China lacks treaty restrictions on its nuclear arsenal and currently possesses over 600 nuclear warheads, with expectations to increase this number to 1,000 or more by 2030. The estimates for nuclear weapons are 5,580 for the U.S. and 5,044 for Russia, as reported by the Federation of American Scientists.

Hruby warned that we should not draw incorrect conclusions from the Cold War’s extensive arms race. While Moscow amassed a larger number of nuclear warheads (peaking at over 40,000 in the 1980s), this contributed to the collapse of the Soviet economy and its eventual dissolution in 1991.

Hruby remarked, “This is not how we will succeed today.” She contended that amassing a large stockpile of weapons is unlikely to be a viable long-term strategy.

She advocated for future U.S. administrations to “outthink both Russia and China” to effectively deter the potential use of nuclear weapons.

Former Trump Officials Advocate for More Nuclear Weapons

In contrast, ex-officials from the Trump administration maintain a different perspective.

Robert O’Brien, who served as Trump’s national security advisor from 2019 to 2021, asserted in June 2024 that the U.S. “must retain both technical and numerical superiority over the combined nuclear forces of China and Russia.”

O’Brien and other officials aligned with Trump also believe that the U.S. should restart underground nuclear weapons tests. The last time a U.S. nuclear weapon was tested was in 1992, and the Senate voted against a treaty prohibiting such tests in 1999. (North Korea remains the only nation to conduct nuclear tests in the 21st century.)

Russia withdrew from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 2023 and has warned the U.S. against reinitiating explosive nuclear tests. In November, Moscow revised its nuclear strategy to broaden the possible scenarios in which nuclear weapons might be used.

During his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Pete Hegseth, Trump’s candidate to lead the Pentagon, expressed support for utilizing emergency war production powers to accelerate the modernization of nuclear weapons.