More speculation about what an incipient Biden Administration would bring, this time from Mallory Shelbourne at USNI News:
An administration under former Vice President Joe Biden would likely reassess the nuclear posture review, according to the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said during a virtual event hosted by the Center for a New American Security on Thursday that, should Biden win next week’s presidential election, his administration is expected to take a second look at how the United States approaches nuclear weapons.
“I’m confident that the Biden administration – if it comes – is going to feel this way, that we need to reexamine the nuclear posture review,†Smith said.
“So we’re going to sort of reexamine that issue, and I don’t know where we’re going to come out. But I am quite confident that you’re going to have a new look at the nuclear posture review.â€Smith said he is not convinced either way as to whether the U.S. needs a nuclear triad, but that he is “skeptical†of the position that the triad is required to deter potential adversaries.
I’ve written extensively on deterrence. In summary we are presently missing one of the key components of deterrence. If Americans don’t believe we would ever use nuclear weapons or that their use against an adversary could ever be justified, how can we expect potential adversaries to do so? When such flawed deterrence inevitably fails, we will see nuclear weapons used against us or our interests. Will we retaliate as massively as we must? Or will we try to respond with targeted force, leaving ourselves open for a riposte?
I believe it was Walter Williams who said, when BHO was president, that his greatest fear was that an American city would be struck with a nuclear weapon, and BHO would surrender.
This brings to mind many horrible things, but what I believe he was referring to, is that there is, a fate worse than death.
Like most federal government policy “reviews” this one is like to have very little actual effect. Policy changes have to be backed by programmed budgets which is the preview of Congress and Congress usually ignore’s the President’s desires. Defense and nuclear spending is one of the few areas left where Congress doesn’t defer to Executive branch desires because there is a LOT of money and jobs at stake for states and Congressional districts.