The power of nuclear weapons is well known and is an important weapon for the United States and other countries to deter other countries. Just a few days ago, the German defense minister threatened to carry out a nuclear deterrent against Russia, which aroused heated discussion in international public opinion. On October 30, according to the Financial Times, the Biden administration is developing a new nuclear strategic guide, the Nuclear Posture Review, which may promise not to be the first to use nuclear weapons. Before the report was released, U.S. allies could not sit still and lobbied Biden not to change his nuclear weapons policy.
On April 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Defense released the Nuclear Deterrence Policy document, which explains the U.S. nuclear weapons policy, which is still based on nuclear deterrence. At that time, the United States also discussed the harm of "no first use of nuclear weapons" and said that it would strengthen the nuclear strike force of the Trinity. With more than 5,000 nuclear warheads, the United States poses a huge threat to the security of other countries and is an important factor in the instability of the global situation.
Biden appears to have recognized this, saying back in the 2020 campaign that the sole purpose of nuclear weapons should be to deter or respond to a nuclear strategic attack. In the eyes of the outside world, Biden's view of the use of nuclear weapons is very similar to the view of "no first use of nuclear weapons". In fact, as early as 2016, the Obama administration considered adopting a "no first use of nuclear weapons" policy in 2016, but it was strongly opposed by allies such as Japan. Now, the Biden administration intends to include in the Nuclear Posture Review a policy of no-first-use nuclear weapons.
After learning that the Biden administration might adjust its nuclear weapons use policy, U.S. allies began lobbying Biden not to change his policy, including Britain, France, Germany, Japan and Australia. The rationale given by U.S. allies is that it would "undermine long-term deterrence strategies against Russia and China." A European official said it would be a huge "gift" to China and Russia. Other critics argue that the policy is "emboldening" Russia and China.
Richard Fontaine, chief executive of the Center for New American Security in Washington, said it was not the time for the United States to commit to "no first use of nuclear weapons," claiming that "threats" from Russia and China had increased since the Obama administration. James Richch, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, believes that if Biden adjusts his nuclear weapons use policy, it will be a betrayal of his allies, and it will also stimulate Japan, South Korea and other countries to develop nuclear weapons and trigger a regional arms race.
Many, including U.S. allies, oppose Biden's pledge not to be the first to use nuclear weapons, on the grounds that they may seem grandiose, but in essence they are self-serving and will lead to greater global instability. Not long ago, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer went so far as to openly state that it was necessary to conduct a nuclear deterrent against Russia, saying that NATO should regard nuclear weapons as the ultimate means of countering Russia, which is also an important part of NATO's deterrent power.
Kramp-Karrenbauer was able to say this not because of Germany's own military prowess, but because it was backed by NATO, which was at its core the United States. Relevant data show that the United States has more than 5,000 nuclear warheads, which is comparable to Russia's nuclear arsenal. If the United States does not commit to "no first use of nuclear weapons," it will have no small deterrent to Russia. But we need to look at the problem comprehensively, Russia has more nuclear warheads than the United States, once it starts to move, can NATO stop it?
Therefore, in response to Karenbauer's provocation, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said that the German side should know best what kind of consequences will be caused by the deployment of military forces on Russia's western border. Shoigu also warned Karenbauer that she should go home and ask her grandfather about the consequences of the war against Russia. It is the Western countries that are afraid that the world is not chaotic, but they always like to push the responsibility to other countries, and now it is up to Biden to withstand the pressure.