- The Pentagon plans to focus more on tactical nuclear weapons in a new US strategy
- The review aims to provide the US president with more credible nuclear options
- Tactical weapons target military sites and could be used in regional conflicts
The Pentagon is working on a major overhaul of the US' nuclear strategy, with plans that would reshape how the US responds if a conflict breaks out with China or Russia, according to a report by NBC News.
Instead of depending mainly on long-range nuclear missiles, the new approach would place greater focus on shorter-range tactical nuclear weapons that could be used in regional conflicts involving US allies.
The review is being led by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, who is expected to discuss the proposal during a private military event in Nebraska while visiting the US Strategic Command, the command responsible for the US' nuclear forces.
Giving Trump More Choices In A Crisis
Officials familiar with the proposal say the goal is to prepare for situations where allies are attacked by Russia or China, while giving US President Donald Trump a wider range of military options.
A senior US Department of Defence official told NBC, "Our view is that we need credible nuclear options."
The official said the strategy would not limit Trump's decisions during a conflict. Instead, it would "expand the president's option space by providing him with realistic and credible options and therefore strengthen deterrence".
Another official said the revised doctrine would increase Trump's choices during nuclear crises rather than forcing him into an all-or-nothing response.
Why Tactical Weapons Are At The Centre
Colby has long argued that America's nuclear policy relies too heavily on the threat of launching devastating long-range weapons capable of wiping out an opponent's nuclear arsenal.
He has instead backed tactical nuclear weapons, which are smaller, shorter-range warheads designed for use against military targets or on the battlefield rather than entire cities.
Defending the approach, the senior defence official said, "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."
The official added, "Otherwise you're reducing our leadership's options to extreme choices that the adversary won't find credible – and that is not going to fare well for deterrence."
Debate Over Lowering The Nuclear Threshold
The proposal has reopened a long-running debate over US nuclear policy, with supporters arguing that more flexible options could strengthen deterrence, while critics fear the opposite.
Some experts warn that making tactical nuclear weapons a bigger part of military planning could lower the threshold for their use by making them seem more practical in conventional wars.
Others argue that placing too much emphasis on battlefield nuclear weapons could weaken preparations for situations where a president might need to rely on long-range strategic missiles instead.
The proposal has already drawn criticism on Capitol Hill.
A senior congressional aide familiar with the review told NBC, "It's hard to imagine a study that is more out of line with President Trump's stated position of making our nuclear deterrent great again."
The aide added, "He clearly wants more options and capabilities, not less. This study is big-time low-T."
No Nuclear Weapon Used Since World War II
Nuclear weapons have not been used in combat since the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The attacks forced Japan's surrender and brought the Second World War to an end, making any shift in US nuclear policy a subject of global attention.
