US assessing how quickly it can nuclear re-arm military planes and ships if treaty with Russia expires.

Politico reports on what it sees as a negotiating tactic from the US administration.

• The Trump administration has asked the military to assess how quickly it could pull nuclear weapons out of storage and load them onto bombers and submarines if an arms control treaty with Russia is allowed to expire in February, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

• In making the request, the Trump administration wants to underscore that it is serious about letting the treaty lapse if Russia fails to meet U.S. demands.
• The negotiating team is leery that Russia is dragging out the talks in the hope that Joe Biden - who has pledged to extend New START under what Moscow believes will be more favorable terms than what this White House is offering - wins the election.

For the folks tracking this, here is the link for much more.