China’s growing nuclear arsenal raises real risk of attack, top US commander warns
- US Strategic Command head says Chinese military could change its ‘no first use’ policy at any moment
- Conflict could escalate if conventional loss seen as threatening the state, he says
The US military must prepare for the “very real possibility” of a nuclear attack as China and Russia rapidly expand their arsenals, the head of America’s nuclear weapons has warned.
“At the US Strategic Command, we assess the probability of nuclear use is low, but not ‘impossible’ particularly in a crisis and as our nuclear-armed adversaries continue to build capability and exert themselves globally,” Richard said in an article in the February issue of the US Naval Institute’s Proceedings magazine.
He said the US military must shift its main assumption from “nuclear employment is not possible” to “nuclear employment is a very real possibility”, and act to “deter that reality”.
He said Russia and China were “aggressively challenging” world peace with their growing capability, and could escalate a conflict into nuclear war if they” perceived a conventional loss would threaten the regime or state”.
“Beijing is pursuing capabilities and operating in a manner inconsistent with a minimum deterrent strategy, giving it a full range of options, including limited use and a first-strike capability,” he said.