The Pentagon is rewriting their nuclear rule book in preparation for potential war (Image: Getty)
A newly published report has disclosed that the Pentagon is overhauling its nuclear strategy in anticipation of a potential conflict with both Russia and China.
According to an exclusive NBC News report, Defence Department policy chief Elbridge Colby is leading the drafting of a new strategy concerning nuclear weapons, with a particular focus on shorter-range tactical munitions. This is reportedly being drawn up in the event that the U.S. finds itself embroiled in a conflict with Russia and China simultaneously.
The outlet spoke to five sources familiar with the plans being led by Colby, which are said to represent a significant departure from decades of established U.S. nuclear doctrine. Those sources indicate the new draft “emphasises the possible use of shorter-range tactical weapons in case of a regional war with China or Russia.”
The strategy centres on tactical options, with shorter-range weapons specifically designed for battlefield deployment, rather than the long-range arsenal associated with Cold War deterrence.
The primary objective, should such a conflict materialise, would be to prevent it from escalating into a full-scale nuclear exchange, and to stop either China or Russia from exploiting a moment when Washington’s focus was directed elsewhere.
Amongst the foremost concerns regarding China is the prospect of an invasion of Taiwan, in a bid to seize control of the self-governed territory.
On Wednesday, August 5, Taiwan launched its annual military exercises to rehearse its response to a potential Chinese invasion of the island, which Beijing considers part of its own sovereign territory.
The live-fire exercises are designed to assess the Taiwanese military’s ability to sustain round-the-clock defensive operations and counter China’s “gray-zone tactics,” which stop just short of outright military confrontation.
Civil preparedness drills will gauge how the population copes with disruptions to internet connectivity.
Russia and China are close allies (Image: Getty)
Meanwhile, concerns over nuclear escalation continue to loom over Russia and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In May, Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed he had allowed Russia to station some of its tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil.
In December, Russia announced that its latest intermediate-range nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system had become fully operational in Belarus, a country that shares borders with Ukraine and NATO members Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania.
In 2024, the Kremlin unveiled a revised nuclear doctrine that brought Belarus under Russia’s nuclear protection umbrella.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow will retain control over its nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus, but would allow its ally to select targets in the event of conflict.
Earlier this year, in May, Mauro Miedico, Director of the U.N. Counter-Terrorism Center (UNCCT), warned that “the threat has never been so high as it is today.
“Terrorist groups and individuals engage much more strongly with new technologies. Terrorist groups have recruited experts, including AI specialists, and we have seen the use of drones in terrorist acts.
“This potentially makes it more possible that they will launch a dirty bomb via drone,” he added.