WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has launched a review of America’s nuclear posture, focused on providing more “options” for the White House, two top officials said this week.
The comments come after over a decade of concerns that Russia and China are developing lower-yield “tactical” nuclear warheads, while the US arsenal is largely reliant on heavier “strategic” nuclear weapons. The theory is that a foreign country could use lower-yield weapons and lock the US president into a no-win situation: either not responding, or having to respond with overwhelming, world-ending force.
The start of the review was announced by Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby during a keynote speech Wednesday. In his comments, Colby repeatedly emphasized the term “options,” though he stressed that as of right now, he had “no announcement of any kind of change” regarding the Pentagon’s nuclear policy.
“There’s, you know, a review or sort of relook at the employment guidance, which is more about the commander of STRATCOM [Strategic Command] and his responsibilities and [the defense] secretary’s authorities, etcetera,” he said in Omaha, Neb., during the 2026 Deterrence Symposium. Colby also noted that the review will not be released to the general public.
