In March, President Biden approved a highly classified document outlining a strategy to counter potential nuclear cooperation between U.S. adversaries. The New York Times reported Tuesday that the strategic plan reflects a shift in thinking in Washington as China rapidly expands its nuclear arsenal and strengthens ties between Putin and Kim Jong Un.
The document, known as the Nuclear Weapons Manual, is updated every four years and is so classified that no electronic copies exist. Only select national security officials have access to it. The plan pays particular attention to China’s rapidly growing nuclear arsenal, which the Pentagon says could match the nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia within the next decade.
While the White House has not officially confirmed that Biden has endorsed the plan, a senior National Security Council official commented on its intent. According to him, the new strategy underscores “the need to contain Russia, China and North Korea at the same time.”
Historically, the likelihood of these adversaries coordinating nuclear threats against the United States was considered low. However, the developing partnership between the Russian Federation and China, as well as the weapons that North Korea and Iran are supplying to Russia for the war in Ukraine, have radically changed Washington’s strategic considerations. Russia and China are conducting joint military exercises, and several intelligence agencies are investigating whether the Russian Federation is in return helping Iran and North Korea with their missile programs.
The new plan serves as a stark reminder that the United States must confront a far more volatile reality than it did just three years ago. Russian President Putin has repeatedly threatened a nuclear strike against Ukraine. Meanwhile, China remains steadfast in its nuclear ambitions and North Korea’s arsenal has grown large enough to coordinate threats with Moscow and Beijing.
U.S. officials acknowledge that it was only a matter of time before U.S. military plans adapted to the new nuclear environment. “We have a responsibility to see the world as it is, not as we expected it to be,” one official said. “The new challenge is the real possibility of cooperation or even collusion among our nuclear-armed adversaries.”
Kursor previously wrote that the Russian Federation may be preparing a nuclear provocation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
