Pentagon speaks out about US nuclear deterrence intentions
The Pentagon said the United States would not threaten nuclear-armed states with nuclear weapons under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
According to RIA Novosti, the Pentagon's report to Congress on November 15 (local time) said that the US will not threaten nuclear-armed countries with nuclear weapons under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); for other countries, nuclear weapons will play a deterrent role.
“The United States will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) because their actions are consistent with their obligations. For other states, there remains a narrow margin of discretion. Accordingly, nuclear weapons can serve as a deterrent against attacks that could have strategic implications against the United States, its allies, and its partners,” the Pentagon report said.
According to the report, the United States intends to comply with the key limitations of the Strategic Arms Treaty (START) for the duration of its current term, if Russia also continues to comply with the terms of the Treaty.
The document notes that deterrence alone is not enough to prevent strategic threats. According to the Pentagon, arms control, risk reduction and non-proliferation play a key role in maintaining stability, reducing the risk of escalation and preventing arms races and nuclear war.
The US “reaffirms its commitment to new arms control agreements,” the report said, stressing that such agreements can only be made “with partners willing to mitigate risks and understand the importance of managing competition rather than escalating it into uncontrolled competition.”
