Allies fear that the United States will reconsider its nuclear policy and move to the principle of a "single goal— - it implies that Washington uses nuclear weapons solely for deterrence or as a retaliatory measure
US allies, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia and Japan, urge President Joe Biden not to change the current nuclear policy and not to switch to the principle of non-use of nuclear weapons first, the Financial Times reports. According to the newspaper, this "could undermine the deterrence strategy focused on Russia and China."
The US administration is now analyzing US policy regarding the use of nuclear weapons. Earlier this year, according to the newspaper's sources, the United States sent out polls on this topic to its allies, the majority opposed any changes.
Some allies believe that the United States can move to the principle of "single purpose" - it implies that Washington will use nuclear weapons exclusively under certain circumstances, for example, for deterrence or as a retaliatory measure. According to opponents of this, such a transition will "give courage" to Russia and China.
"This could be a huge gift to China and Russia," an unnamed European official told the FT.
According to the newspaper, the US position on the use of nuclear weapons has remained "deliberately vague" since the Cold War. She suggests that the United States can strike first, so allies in Europe and the Pacific feel protected under the American "nuclear umbrella," writes FT.
Robert Floyd, Executive Secretary of the preparatory commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), said in October that the United States is working on a new nuclear doctrine.
The Pentagon's Nuclear Policy Review report of February 2018 states that the United States has never accepted the principle of non-use of nuclear weapons first and, given modern threats, such a policy would be unjustified. "US policy continues to be to maintain a certain ambiguity regarding the exact circumstances that may lead to an American nuclear response," the document says.
The conditions for Russia's use of nuclear weapons are described in paragraph 27 The Military doctrine, which was updated in 2014. It states that Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it or its allies, as well as in the case of aggression against Russia using conventional weapons, "when the very existence of the state is threatened."
Author: Natalia Anisimova
