The United States may need to deploy more strategic nuclear weapons in the coming years to deter growing threats from Russia, China and other hostile countries.
The warning comes through the mouth of Pranay Vaddia leading exponent of the National Security Council for arms control, who in an Arms Control Association speech cited by Reuters spoke of “a more competitive approach” to arms control and outlined a political change aimed at pushing Moscow and Beijing to sit at the negotiating table for the reduction of the atomic arsenal.
“Absent a change in adversary arsenals, we may reach a point in the coming years where an increase over current deployed numbers will be necessary. We must be fully prepared to act if the president makes this decision,” he said.
“If that day comes, it will result in the decision that more nuclear weapons will be necessary to deter our adversaries and protect the American people, our allies and partners.”