US President Donald Trump has ordered two nuclear submarines be moved to “appropriate regions” following a provocative statement by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. On July 31, Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, made an indirect reference to Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities, escalating tensions with Washington.
In a Truth Social post on August 1, Trump said the deployment was a precautionary measure.
“I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump wrote. He did not specify the type of submarines nor their destination, but revealed that they "are moving closer" to Russia.
The Pentagon has not commented on the deployment. The US Navy operates three classes of nuclear-powered submarines, and their movements are typically kept classified.
Around the world, certain nations have strict and often scary defense policies, including arming themselves with nuclear weapons. With a global nuclear stockpile of over 13,000, it's scary to imagine that most of these are much more powerful than the nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki! But which countries host the most nuclear weapons? Click on to find out.