President Joe Biden discreetly greenlit modifications to the US nuclear strategy in March, anticipating a collective nuclear threat from Russia, China, and North Korea. The New York Times reported the confidential move, noting the scarcity of public information on the matter.
Despite the secrecy surrounding the Nuclear Employment Guidance, snippets of the altered strategy have been hinted at in recent speeches by lower-level US officials. Significantly, the revised approach emphasizes deterring all three nuclear-armed nations simultaneously.
Biden is projected to officially notify Congress of the strategy shift before the end of his term, offering a more comprehensive overview than what has been vaguely disclosed so far. The 1940s saw the US primarily concerned with the Soviet Union’s nuclear threat, but the rise of China and North Korea’s nuclear capabilities has shifted the focus.
China is on track to possess a substantial number of warheads by 2030, potentially surpassing US and Russian arsenals, while North Korea currently harbors around 60 warheads. The lack of transparency in nuclear arsenals and weakening arms control agreements pose a serious challenge for global security.