The United States is undergoing a significant update to its nuclear defense strategy. According to reports from The New York Times, President Biden approved changes to the country’s highly classified Nuclear Employment Guidance. These updates come as global dynamics shift, driven by increasing nuclear threats from Russia, China and North Korea.
“This is about preparing for nuclear conflict or the escalation towards it — establishing the doctrine, the procedures, and the options available to the president in response to such a situation,” said Tyler White, director of the National Security Program at the University of Nebraska.
While updating nuclear strategy might seem alarming, White said the move is both logical and timely, especially given the shifting global power structures.
The world is fundamentally changing
Tyler White, director of the National Security Program at the University of Nebraska.
Some of those changes include the unprecedented cooperation between Russia, China, and North Korea — three nuclear-armed nations that haven’t traditionally been aligned.
The war in Ukraine notably altered global relations, forcing Russia to seek military assistance from China and North Korea to keep its war machine running. At the same time, China ramped up its aggression in the Indo-Pacific region, and started expanding its nuclear arsenal years ago. It’s estimated China possesses around 500 nuclear warheads. The country is on track to double that number by 2030.
“These countries have found reasons to collaborate, even participating in joint military exercises,” White said. “The question now is, how do you deter not just each of these actors individually, but as a group if they coordinate a potential attack?”
The U.S. adapting its nuclear strategy should not come as a surprise to anyone following global events over the past decade. The nation’s entire nuclear deterrence infrastructure is undergoing significant updates.
White noted these updates are part of a broader modernization effort across the U.S. nuclear arsenal, from the introduction of the B-21 Raider stealth bomber to the development of new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and the replacement of Ohio-class submarines.
“So I think there’s a lot of transition going on right now. I think a lot of it is necessary,” White said. “This document is kind of a codification of where we’ve been going.”
The update to U.S. nuclear strategy comes at a critical juncture as global threats continue to rise. It underscores the need for a more flexible and modern approach to nuclear deterrence as the world enters a new and potentially more dangerous phase of international relations.
