Donald Trump’s decision to move two US nuclear submarines closer to Russia has been described as a “rhetorical escalation” by a leading nuclear security expert.
Speaking to Sky News presenter Anna Jones, Dr Ross Peel of King’s College London said the US president’s remarks likely amounted to a political message rather than an operational military shift.
“This may be related to a signalling attempt — an attempt to send a message rather than to actually achieve anything different,” Dr Peel explained.
“It is absolutely a rhetorical escalation. That doesn’t mean these rhetorical escalations cannot lead to military escalations, particularly if one side misinterprets what the other is trying to send.”skynews report
Trump recently claimed on social media that he had ordered two nuclear-powered submarines to be positioned in “appropriate regions” following provocative remarks from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
The move has drawn criticism for publicly disclosing details that are normally classified within the nuclear deterrence community.
Dr Peel, who specialises in nuclear non-proliferation, said such public statements risk undermining the key principles of nuclear deterrence.
“It is very unusual for someone to publicly say roughly where nuclear submarines are,” he said.
“The point of a nuclear weapons submarine is that we don’t know where it is, and no one knows where it is — in order to be able to strike back if your country is attacked.”
He also cautioned against using nuclear threats as political messaging tools, saying world leaders should avoid “boasting” about nuclear capabilities in a way that could be misread by adversaries.
The comments follow escalating tensions between the United States and Russia amid ongoing conflicts and concerns over strategic stability.
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