Two senior administration officials were previously allowed to talk about the revision of the US nuclear strategy but did not disclose it. Now it has received information. America is getting ready to expand its nuclear arsenal by moving away from modernizing existing weapons.
US President Joe Biden has approved the US nuclear strategy to prepare for a possible nuclear conflict with Russia, China, and North Korea. Giving this information, the White House said that the President had approved the plan earlier this year. White House spokesman Sean Savet said that this guidance issued earlier this year is not a response to any one entity, country, or threat.
According to the New York Times report, this policy takes into account the rapid build-up of a nuclear arsenal that will rival the US in the next decade. Biden approved the revised strategy, called the Nuclear Employment Guidance, in March. An unclassified notification of the policy change has not yet been presented to Parliament. According to research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, China had an estimated 500 nuclear weapons in January this year, while China had 410 nuclear weapons in January 2023. The US and Russia have more than 5,000 weapons, but China’s arsenal is believed to be growing at a much faster pace than any other country.
China’s nuclear weapons will double in the next six years
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the US-based Arms Control Association, says US intelligence estimates suggest that China will double the size of its nuclear arsenal by 2030, from 500 to 1,000. Russia currently has 4,000 nuclear weapons. North Korea is also rapidly strengthening ties with Russia and China, which has increased America’s concern. In such a situation, after efforts to reduce nuclear weapons, the Biden administration has indicated a desire to expand the US arsenal to counter the nuclear strategies of China and Russia.
On the other hand, Zhoubo, a retired Chinese Army colonel, said in an article in the newspaper that the US and China can still cooperate on nuclear diplomacy. Zhou said Beijing can’t stand idly by in the face of deteriorating relations between Russia and the US but there is room to strengthen policies governing nuclear weapons stockpiles. Zhou argued that nuclear-armed countries should declare a ‘no first use’ policy, as only China and India have done so far.