China’s Nuclear Arsenal Will Become an Existential Threat to US, Biden Administration Declares – By Marcus Weisgerber (Defense One) / Oct 27, 2022
New nuclear strategy deletes one new U.S. weapon, keeps the rest.
For seven decades, U.S. nuclear weapons policy has largely focused on one nation whose arsenal posed an existential threat: Russia. On Thursday, the Biden administration added China to that list.
The new Nuclear Posture Review reflects Bejing’s efforts to expand and improve its arsenal, a senior defense official said Thursday morning.
“China’s nuclear modernization and its rapid expansion presents us with new risks and uncertainties,” the official said, speaking anonymously ahead of the review’s public release. “In the coming years…for the first time, we will have to deter two major nuclear armed competitors, both Russia and China. This presents new dilemmas for both strategic deterrence and for regional warfighting.”
The Congressionally mandated review describes the nation’s nuclear policy, strategy, capabilities and force posture.
