The US Defense Department announced that owing to multiple nuclear competitors challenging America and its allies, the department, in partnership with the National Nuclear Security Administration, has taken steps to enhance the country's nuclear deterrence and flexibility.
According to Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy (N-CWMD) Richard C. Johnson, several nuclear peer adversaries are growing, diversifying and modernising their nuclear arsenals, underscoring the role that nuclear weapons play in their national security strategies.
This evolving security environment—especially with countries like Russia and China enhancing their nuclear capabilities—necessitates that the US makes adjustments to its 2022 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) to sustain the ability to achieve nuclear deterrence, according to Johnson.
The current nuclear framework of the US is largely shaped by the 2022 NPR, and reflects a balance between deterrence, modernisation, and arms control commitments.
Reiterating that the US remains committed to a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear deterrent, Johnson argued that the nuclear modernisation programme of record may be insufficient moving forward.
One of the initiatives taken by the DOD in enhancing the nuclear deterrence capability is the B61-13 gravity bomb as well as the increased readiness of nuclear armed and powered Ohio-class submarines.
The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration would produce the B61-13, which is a modern variant of the B61. The B61-13 gravity bomb, delivered by aircraft, seeks to offer enhanced military options against specific high-value targets that are deemed harder to eliminate with existing weapons.
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A report submitted by the department to the Congress directs that the US:
"*Plans to deter multiple nuclear-armed adversaries simultaneously.
*Requires the integration of non-nuclear capabilities, where feasible, to support the nuclear deterrence mission.
* Stresses the importance of escalation management in US planning for responding to limited nuclear attack or high-consequence, non-nuclear strategic attack.
* Enables deeper consultation, coordination and combined planning with allies and partners in order to strengthen US extended deterrence commitments."
"To be prepared for the 2030s, we have to modernize our nuclear forces, the nuclear command and control, and the associated infrastructure that will allow us to be flexible and adjust over time as new challenges arise, whether that's new threats or potential changes or delays in our modernization," vice deputy director for strategic stability at the Joint Staff Grant Schneider said.