A Nuclear Review for a New Age

The 2010 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) explicitly elevated nonproliferation for the first time to the highest priority of US nuclear policy, among other priorities, including deterrence and assurance. It also identified a reduction in the roles and number of nuclear weapons as a means to promote its priority nonproliferation goal. Senior Department of Defense (DOD) officials identified preventing nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism and reducing the role of nuclear weapons in US strategy as the top US strategic objectives, and stated explicitly that the DOD assessed deterrence requirements against these metrics. The need to adapt to new threat realities has implications across virtually all facets of US nuclear policy. It is obvious in the need to reconsider how best now to deter opponents and assure allies in Europe and Asia and in the need to reorient US arms control and declaratory policies away from their focus on progressive reductions and limitations for nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament purposes and toward supporting the priority goals of deterrence, assurance, and damage limitation for decades to come.