US to adopt more ‘competitive’ nuclear weapons strategy

The Biden administration will announce its intention to embrace a more assertive nuclear weapons strategy on Friday, after China and Russia spurned US efforts to discuss arms control over the past year.

The US believes it needs “to adopt a more competitive approach to non-proliferation and arms control” in light of rising global tensions, and “make certain adjustments to our posture and capabilities,” a senior administration official told Semafor. Pranay Vaddi of the National Security Council is expected to outline the new direction at an arms control conference Friday.

At the same gathering last year, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced that the US was willing to discuss arms control with China and Russia “without preconditions.” But Beijing and Moscow have effectively rejected those overtures, forcing the US to shift its approach, the official said.

The administration still hopes to bring its geopolitical rivals to the negotiating table, but wants to show there will be consequences for rebuffing talks, the official added. Russia and China “will face a diminished security environment if they continue to refuse to engage,” they said.