Renewed Rhetoric of Expanding the U.S. Nuclear Arsenal Is Dangerous and Would Increase the Risk of Nuclear War
The October 12, 2023 report of the Congressional Commission on the U.S. Strategic Posture called for strengthening and expanding U.S. nuclear forces in response to the growing nuclear arsenals of Russia and China. It argued that the United States may need to deploy additional nuclear weapons to deter simultaneous threats from two nuclear-armed adversaries
Renewed pressure to expand the U.S. nuclear arsenal is again being advanced by some advocacy organizations and members of the Congress. Reports also indicate that some voices within the current Administration oppose extending the limits of the New START Treaty, which is scheduled to expire on February 4, 2026. Abandoning these limits will remove the last remaining constraints on U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces. Doing so while renewing efforts to expand nuclear arsenals only further increases global instability and the risk of miscalculation and nuclear war.