The strategy is being overseen by Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s policy chief, who has long called for the US to prepare to fight a “limited nuclear war”
The Pentagon is reportedly working on a fresh nuclear strategy that aims to increase the availability of tactical nuclear weapons, providing the president with more varied “options” should a nuclear confrontation arise.
This plan, initially uncovered by NBC News, is being formulated by Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s policy chief, who has advocated for over ten years that the US expand its capabilities to engage in a “limited nuclear war.”
The proposal seeks to transition US nuclear doctrine away from relying predominantly on strategic nuclear weapons designed to eliminate an adversary’s nuclear arsenal, towards placing greater emphasis on employing smaller, tactical nuclear arms during “regional” conflicts.
“As a source shared with NBC, “If you actually want extended deterrence to be credible, you have to provide the nation’s political leadership with nuclear capabilities that common sense indicates you could actually use. Otherwise you’re reducing our leadership’s options to extreme choices that the adversary won’t find credible.”
Although the intended aim of this approach is deterrence and avoiding war, critics from arms control organizations caution that expanding tactical nuclear arsenals to prepare for a potential limited nuclear engagement greatly increases the risk of nuclear conflict and could trigger catastrophic global consequences.
The Arms Control Association responded to the NBC report, stating that “Without a firm rejection of the option to use nuclear weapons first in a conflict, by building and fielding more tactical nuclear weapons the administration is signaling its intention to use them against enemy forces and industrial infrastructure in a conflict.”
They further expressed strong opposition to the administration’s move to develop additional tactical nuclear arms, highlighting that the US already possesses multiple such weapons, including the B61-12 gravity bombs stationed in Europe and the W76-2 low-yield warhead paired with the Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile.
The ACA also noted the US Navy’s acquisition of a new nuclear-capable sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N), which could be operational by decade’s end for possible use in a conflict scenario with China.
Breaking Defense reported that on August 5, Colby revealed the Pentagon’s ongoing review of the US nuclear posture, repeatedly stressing “options” during a speech that has not been publicly released.
Colby has emerged as a prominent advocate within policy circles in Washington for the US to gear up for limited nuclear conflict. In a 2015 Center for a New American Security (CNAS) paper titled “A Nuclear Strategy and Posture for 2030,” he argued that America “should make a special effort to develop the platforms and weapons, doctrine, planning capacity, and other capabilities needed to fight a limited nuclear war more effectively than plausible adversaries.”
Colby described the ideal US nuclear force as “one that is not only highly survivable and able to issue a devastating blow against any adversary under any scenario but that is also capable of conducting effective limited nuclear operations in a controlled fashion while maintaining the ability to escalate to full-scale war if necessary.”
He reiterated similar views in a 2018 article for Foreign Affairs, titled “If You Want Peace, Prepare for Nuclear War,” published shortly after leaving his role helping to shape the 2018 National Defense Strategy under the first Trump administration.
“Washington’s task is clear. It must demonstrate to Moscow and Beijing that any attempt to use force against US friends and allies would likely fail and would certainly result in costs and risks well out of proportion to whatever they might gain,” Colby wrote. “This requires conventional military power, but it also means having the right strategy and weapons to fight a limited nuclear war and come out on top.”
Original article: antiwar
About the Author
