News Brief
US Shifts Nuclear Policy Focus To Address Rising Threat From China's Rapidly Expanding Arsenal
The second stage of the Chinese DF-5B ICBM, which can carry nuclear warhead, disassembled for transport. (PLA) (Representative Image)
The United States has revised its top-secret nuclear strategy in response to China's expanding nuclear capabilities and its possible alliances with Russia and other nations, according to a report by The New York Times on Tuesday (20 August).
The “Nuclear Employment Guidance,” which undergoes revision every four years, remains available exclusively to a limited group of administration officials due to its classified content.
The guidelines, outlining the US response in case of a nuclear assault, are not fully accessible even to members of Congress.
According to the New York Times report, Biden approved the revised plan in March.
The revised guidance, for the first time, explicitly targets deterrence strategies against “China’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal,” as reported by The NYT.
Following The Times’ report, the White House issued a brief statement clarifying that the review of Nuclear Employment Guidance “is in no way secret … [and] is not a response to any single entity, country nor threat”.
China’s nuclear capabilities have come under heightened scrutiny from policymakers and researchers globally.
In June, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that China had expanded its nuclear arsenal by 90 warheads, raising its total to 500 as of January.
The report further projected that China’s total count of intercontinental ballistic missiles – currently around 238 – could exceed the US’s 800 or Russia’s 1,244 within the next decade.
