![handle is hein.crs/govejqh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 2022 Nuclear Posture Review
On October 27, 2022, the Department of Defense (DOD)
published the unclassified 2022 Nuclear Posture Review
(NPR). (Unless otherwise noted, all quotations and
statements of U.S. positions are from the NPR text). DOD
published this review, the first since 2018, in the same
document as the 2022 National Defense Strategy and the
2022 Missile Defense Review. The NPR describes U.S.
nuclear strategy, policy, posture, and forces and
reaffirms a continuing commitment to a safe, secure, and
effective nuclear deterrent and strong and credible extended
deterrence.
For Congress, the NPR covers subjects such as nuclear
weapons employment guidance, as well as nuclear weapons
production and associated infrastructure, that directly affect
legislative and oversight considerations. The U.S.
government will update nuclear weapons employment
guidance, last published in 2020.
The United States aims to continue to deploy a nuclear
triad consisting of nuclear warheads deliverable by aircraft
and submarine- and land-based missiles. The United States
is fully committed to nuclear weapons modernization
programs, but it does not plan to conduct nuclear explosive
tests or resume producing fissile material. The NPR
similarly expresses support for modernizing the U.S.
nuclear command, control, and communications system, as
well as the production and support infrastructure.
The nuclear weapons modernization programs include the
Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (JCBM) program
(formerly known as the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent)
to replace the Minuteman III ICBM; the COLUMBIA-class
ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) to replace the OHIO-
class SSBN; the W93 program to produce a new warhead
for submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM); B-52H
bomber modernization; the B-21 bomber to replace the B-
2A Spirit long-range bomber; the long-range standoff cruise
missile to replace the air-launched cruise missile (ALCM);
and the W76-2 low yield SLBM warhead. The NPR also
announces retirement of the B-83-1 gravity bomb and
cancelation of the nuclear-armed Sea-Launched Cruise
Missile program.
The NPR stipulates several times the need for flexible
U.S. nuclear forces. The document does not define this
term, but names assets such as ALCMs, the W76-2 SLBM
warhead, globally deployable bombers, and dual-capable
fighter aircraft as examples.
Purpos ofNularWapn
The fundamental role of the U.S. nuclear arsenal is to
deter nuclear attack on the United States and its allies and
partners. The NPR reiterates a January 2022 statement by
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United
States stipulating that a nuclear war cannot be won and
0
December 6, 2022
must never be fought, and that nuclear weapons should
serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent
war.
The United States will not use or threaten to use nuclear
weapons against nonnuclear-weapon states-parties to the
nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) that are in
compliance wit their nuclear non-proliferation
obligations. The review rejects declaratory policies known
as No First Use and Sole Purpose because such policies
would result in an unacceptable level of risk given the
range of non-nuclear capabilities being developed and
fielded by competitors.
Central to U.S. deterrence strategy is the credibility of our
nuclear forces to hold at risk what adversary leadership
values most, the NPR states, adding that effective nuclear
deterrence requires tailored strategies for potential
adversaries that reflect our best understanding of their
decision-making and perceptions. The document, however,
neither explains the reasoning underlying target selection
nor provides detail about specific U.S. nuclear-weapons
missions.
The United States would only consider the use of nuclear
weapons in extreme circumstances to defend the vital
interests of the United States or its Allies and partners,
according to the review, which also discusses the potential
role of nonnuclear U.S. capabilities in deterring nuclear
attacks. Part of a schema termed integrated deterrence by
the NPR, this approach is meant to incorporate suitable
non-nuclear capabilities tailored to specific threat
scenarios. The NPR lists three roles for nuclear weapons:
deter strategic attacks, assure allies and partners, and
achieve U.S. objectives if deterrence fails.
Detr SratgicAttcks
The U.S. nuclear arsenal must deter all forms of strategic
attack, including nuclear employment of any scale
directed against the U.S. homeland or the territory of Allies
and partners, according to the NPR, which adds that any
adversary use of nuclear weapons ... would fundamentally
alter the nature of a conflict, create the potential for
uncontrolled escalation, and have strategic effects. U.S.
capability to deter limited nuclear attacks is necessary for
deterring attacks with nonnuclear weapons because some
potential adversaries may rely on the threat of nuclear
escalation in order to terminate a [conventional] conflict on
advantageous terms. The United States requires nuclear
weapons to deter a narrow range of other high
consequence, strategic-level attacks.
Repeatedly citing the Russian and Chinese nuclear arsenals
as key drivers of U.S. nuclear posture, the NPR posits that
the United States will face two major nuclear powers as
strategic competitors and potential adversaries by the](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govejqh0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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