(DailyEmailNews.com) – Joe Biden has approved a top-secret plan that shifts America’s nuclear strategy to increasingly focus on China as a significant nuclear threat.
This new development follows concerns that the communist country could join forces with North Korea and Russia.
This change came into effect in March due to Pentagon assessments that predict China’s nuclear capabilities could soon match those of the U.S. and Russia.
Termed the “Nuclear Employment Guidance,” the strategy prepares the U.S. for potential combined threats from China, Russia and North Korea.
This new approach was highlighted in recent speeches by senior administration officials who underscored the need for addressing China’s growing nuclear arsenal.
“The President recently issued updated nuclear weapons employment guidance to account for multiple nuclear-armed adversaries, and, in particular, the significant increase in the size and diversity of [China’s] nuclear arsenal,” stated former acting assistant secretary of defense of space policy Vipin Narang.
Narang also emphasized that China needed to engage “responsibly” on nuclear issues, including transparency and risk reduction—topics the U.S. has repeatedly raised with China.
National Security Council senior director for arms control and nonproliferation Pranay Vaddi also referred to this classified document, noting that it addresses the necessity to deter Russia, China and North Korea at the same time.
According to projections, U.S. officials expect China’s nuclear arsenal to expand to about 1,000 by 2030 and around 1,500 by 2035.
Currently, the U.S. has over 5,200 nuclear warheads, while Russia holds more than 5,800, as per data from the Federation of American Scientists.
This highly confidential document, which is updated approximately every four years, is strictly controlled. No electronic versions are available and only a few printed copies are distributed among top national security officials and Pentagon commanders.
The prospect of a united front by China, Russia and North Korea was once considered unlikely, but recent military collaborations between Russia and China suggest otherwise.
Moreover, as North Korea and Iran supply conventional arms to Russia for its conflict in Ukraine, there is concern over mutual support for their missile programs.
Global tensions and the stakes of U.S. strategic planning have skyrocketed over China’s move from maintaining a “minimum deterrent” to aggressively expanding its nuclear capabilities and North Korea’s advancements in nuclear weapons.
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