The United States must be prepared for a nuclear war by either Communist China or Russia while seeking ways to deter the use of strategic weapons, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command warns.
In an article in the February issue of the Journal of the U.S. Naval Institute, four-star U.S. Navy Adm. Charles Richard said the nuclear threat from China and Russia can no longer be ignored following a major re-examination of the global nuclear arms balance.
“They could quickly escalate into a conflict involving nuclear weapons if they believe conventional losses would threaten the regime or the country,” the article reads.
In recent years, General Richard said, Moscow and Beijing have invested in nuclear energy and strategic capabilities that are designed to limit U.S. actions, test alliances and “gradually outpace us, including the use of nuclear energy.”
In his new survey, he urged the Pentagon to dispel the assumption that there is little chance of a nuclear conflict and to now establish the notion that “there is a very real possibility of a nuclear threat.
The U.S. government has repeatedly accused the Chinese Communist Party of conducting nuclear tests or developing nuclear weapons activities in the wake of the trade war between the two countries. In a report dated April 15, 2020, the U.S. Department of State noted that, despite claims of compliance with international nuclear treaties, there has been active behavior near the Communist Party’s nuclear test site in Lop Nor, Xinjiang, since 2019. The United States has denounced that Chinese Communist authorities have conducted extensive excavation activities near the area and are questioned to be excavating experimental sites to accommodate low-level nuclear explosions.
In June last year, Hong Kong media reported that the Department of Equipment Development of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) issued a procurement announcement in late June, including a military procurement announcement for a “single-source public notice for the development of a nuclear power system analysis model for ships “. Industry speculation, the procurement may be related to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier research and development program.
Also last June, nuclear-armed Russia issued an executive order approving the inclusion of nuclear deterrence in its basic national policy. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s executive order indicates that Russia views nuclear weapons as a deterrent and, at the same Time, will take all necessary measures to reduce the nuclear threat, and that the country’s basic policy is defensive in nature, aimed at preserving national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as deterring potential enemies of Russia from acts of aggression.
Richard warned that the U.S. government and military leaders need to better understand the new dangers posed by nuclear conflict and develop a new concept of nuclear deterrence and, if necessary, a strategy for conducting nuclear war.
He told The Washington Post, “We are now entering a new era of competition, and for the first time in U.S. history, we will have to face two nuclear-capable nations.”
“We assume that strategic deterrence will continue in the future, but as the threat environment changes, that may not be the case,” Richard said, “We need to be prepared to address cross-domain threats and ensure the security of our nation and our allies by thinking holistically about strategic deterrence in the 21st century. “
The New START treaty is now the only treaty between the U.S. and Russia to control key strategic weapons, including nuclear weapons. On Tuesday (Jan. 26), Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke for the first time, reaching a consensus to extend the nuclear arms control treaty, which expires on Feb. 5, for five years. Prior to that, the Chinese Communist Party refused to join the negotiations related to strategic arms reductions. Outside estimates put the number of nuclear weapons held by the Chinese Communist authorities at around 300, but the true figure is unknown.
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