U.S. rushes to revive nuclear weapons industry as global tensions mount

Atomic arsenal built in Cold War needs modern revamp

20240106 U.S. Arizona decommissioned ICBM

A deactivated nuclear missile on display at a site in Arizona. The U.S. is looking to revive its atomic arsenal as geopolitical friction grows around the world. © Reuters

TETSUYA ABE, Nikkei senior staff writer

AIKEN, U.S. -- While China is bolstering its nuclear capabilities, the U.S. -- the first country to produce atomic weapons, in 1945, and the world's top economic and military superpower -- is facing a deeply worrying situation.

That is underscored by a site in the south of the nation that at first glance looks like a desolate chemical plant. But yellow signboards here and there reveal what it really is. One of them reads, "This facility is under the supervision of the Atomic Weapons and Special Nuclear Materials Rewards Act."

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