Secret Nuclear Strategy, Iran's Declaration and a Seismic Summer

Tipping Point Quick Hits (08.22.24)

Biden Approves Secret Nuclear Strategy

On Tuesday this week, the New York Times reported that, in March, President Biden ordered the U.S. military to update its nuclear response strategy to prepare for a coordinated nuclear attack between Russia, China and North Korea. The “highly classified nuclear strategic plan,” as the newspaper describes it, represented a significant shift in how the U.S. thinks about other world powers—particularly related to the Chinese nuclear arsenal.

The Pentagon “believes China’s stockpiles will rival the size and diversity of the United States’ and Russia’s over the next decade.”

This document is updated every few years and is so classified that no electronic copies exist. It’s called the “Nuclear Employment Guidance” and was never announced publicly by the White House. However, two senior administration officials were allowed to mention the change, very briefly, in recent speeches. An unclassified notification will be given to Congress before Biden leaves office.