{"id":27241,"date":"2018-02-26T18:56:07","date_gmt":"2018-02-26T18:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:14:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:14:38","slug":"nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonstrategic nukes: What are they good for?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2015 The announcement of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/02\/02\/the-us-could-be-getting-2-new-nuclear-capabilities-here-are-the-details\/\">two new low-yield nuclear weapons programs<\/a> in the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review has led to a discussion about the utility of so-called nonstrategic, or tactical, nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The importance of nonstrategic assets for the U.S. and Russia was examined in detail in a <a href=\"https:\/\/fas.org\/sgp\/crs\/nuke\/RL32572.pdf\">Congressional Research Service report<\/a> published Feb. 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The distinction between a strategic and nonstrategic weapon used to be defined by mission set, observable capabilities and whether the system is covered by existing strategic arms control agreements. Emerging systems, however, strain traditional identification practices, making <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/02\/06\/mattis-no-such-thing-as-a-tactical-nuclear-weapon-but-new-cruise-missile-needed\/\" target=\"\" title=\"\" class=\"selected-link\">the distinction somewhat obsolete<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While some ambiguity remains around the concept of nonstrategic weapons, in the contemporary debate, weapons tend to be classified by warhead yield rather than delivery system.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/08\/gao-says-nuclear-warhead-office-still-cant-afford-planned-modernization\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ALCM_LRSO_Resize.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">GAO says nuclear warhead office still can\u2019t afford planned modernization<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The government watchdog warns that the agency has not taken steps to address the wide gaps in requested funding and the expected costs of several nuclear modernization programs.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, what is the strategic utility of nonstrategic assets? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the U.S. and NATO, these weapons primarily serve to extend America\u2019s overall nuclear deterrent to allies and augment alliance cohesion \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2010\/feb\/22\/nato-states-us-nuclear-arms-europe\">despite disagreement within NATO<\/a> regarding stationing U.S. nuclear weapons on European soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to CRS, the U.S. currently has about 500 nonstrategic weapons in its arsenal, of which <a href=\"https:\/\/armscontrolcenter.org\/u-s-nonstrategic-nuclear-weapons\/\">200 are deployed to allied air bases<\/a> in Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russia\u2019s estimated 1,000 to 6,000 nonstrategic weapons are meant to deter NATO aggression and, in the opinion of some analysts, underscore the country\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/munich-security-forum\/2018\/02\/17\/escalate-to-de-escalate-us-and-russia-trade-jabs-on-nuclear-arms-use\/\">\u201cescalate to de-escalate\u201d strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although several experts on Russian nuclear strategy have <a href=\"https:\/\/warontherocks.com\/2018\/02\/nuclear-posture-review-russian-de-escalation-dangerous-solution-nonexistent-problem\/\">challenged<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/21\/out-of-moscow-washington-got-the-basics-of-russian-nuclear-strategy-all-wrong\/\">United States\u2019 interpretation<\/a> and veracity of a Russian \u201cescalate to de-escalate\u201d strategy, the 2018 NPR justifies the need for further low-yield options as a tailored response to Russian nonstrategic assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without having a low-yield option to respond to Russian first-use of a nonstrategic weapon, the argument goes, the U.S. would be forced to respond with a larger yield weapon, likely escalating conflict. Otherwise, the U.S. would have to respond with overwhelming conventional force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the words of Gen. John Hyten, head of U.S. Strategic Command: \u201cIf an adversary employs low-yield nuclear weapons on the battlefield, the only option that we have should not be just to go big. If they believe they can achieve their objectives through the limited use of nuclear weapons, then we risk a deterrence failure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/21\/hyten-us-nuclear-policy-must-deal-with-the-world-the-way-it-is\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP17322824479136.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Hyten: US nuclear policy must &#8216;deal with the world the way it is&#8217;<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The head of U.S. STRATCOM says the nuclear adversaries are advancing quickly, and the U.S. needs to &quot;go fast&quot; to stay ahead of evolving threats.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Hyten acknowledged, the U.S. already has low-yield options. These assets, however, are exclusively delivered by air. The B61 gravity bomb and air-launched cruise missile \u2015 soon to be replaced by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/air-force-association\/2017\/09\/19\/new-nuclear-cruise-missile-program-appears-safe-going-forward\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Long Range Standoff missile<\/a> \u2015 as well as the bombers that carry them, \u201ccannot be everywhere, always at the same time,\u201d Hyten said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of this limitation, the NPR proposes additional sea-based capabilities to extend the range of U.S. power projection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, some experts argue the addition of low-yield submarine-launched ballistic missiles and a nuclear-tipped sea-launched cruise missile may not be the right solution for U.S. deterrence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">James Acton, a physicist by training and director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace\u2019s Nuclear Policy Program, believes a more reliable and credible U.S. deterrent can be created by investing more heavily in nuclear command, control and communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is a real trade-off in the real world in what we spend on command and control and what we spend on offensive forces,\u201d Acton said. \u201dAs a nation, we are much better served by investing much more significantly in command and control than, for example, planning on spending for a third and particularly a fourth low-yield option.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Acton, the main problem the U.S. faces regarding Russian deterrence is not technical, but political. In his mind, Russia is challenging U.S. nuclear posture \u201cbecause they do not believe President Trump will use nuclear weapons against Russia. If Russia questions the U.S. willingness to defend NATO, it is more because of Donald Trump, not because the U.S. does not have the technical options.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the age of re-emerging great power competition, what is the strategic utility of low-yield nuclear weapons?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":59384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":125,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,11,163,36,125,19,23,30,48],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1233],"class_list":["post-27241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-military-space-report","category-newsletters","category-nuclear-triad","category-pentagon","category-space","category-smr","category-the-americas"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"DBGFITKYOJBX3LNWOLR5FFKLII","arc_canonical_url":"\/space\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nonstrategic nukes: What are they good for? - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the age of re-emerging great power competition, what is the strategic utility of low-yield nuclear weapons?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nonstrategic nukes: What are they good for?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the age of re-emerging great power competition, what is the strategic utility of low-yield nuclear weapons?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-02-26T18:56:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T22:14:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Daniel Cebul\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Daniel Cebul\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Nonstrategic nukes: What are they good for?\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-02-26T18:56:07+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T22:14:38+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 638,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/2838086.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Global\",\n\t                \"Military Space Report\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Nuclear Triad\",\n\t                \"Pentagon\",\n\t                \"Space\",\n\t                \"Special Multimedia Reports\",\n\t                \"The Americas\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Nonstrategic nukes: What are they good for? - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/2838086.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-02-26T18:56:07+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T22:14:38+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"In the age of re-emerging great power competition, what is the strategic utility of low-yield nuclear weapons?\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/2838086.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/2838086.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/26\\\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Special Multimedia Reports\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"smr\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Nuclear Triad\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/smr\\\/nuclear-triad\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"nuclear-triad\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Nonstrategic nukes: What are they good for?\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nonstrategic nukes: What are they good for? - Defense News","description":"In the age of re-emerging great power competition, what is the strategic utility of low-yield nuclear weapons?","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nonstrategic nukes: What are they good for?","og_description":"In the age of re-emerging great power competition, what is the strategic utility of low-yield nuclear weapons?","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2018-02-26T18:56:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-07T22:14:38+00:00","author":"Daniel Cebul","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Daniel Cebul","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Nonstrategic nukes: What are they good for?","datePublished":"2018-02-26T18:56:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T22:14:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/"},"wordCount":638,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2838086.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Global","Military Space Report","Newsletters","Nuclear Triad","Pentagon","Space","Special Multimedia Reports","The Americas"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/","name":"Nonstrategic nukes: What are they good for? - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2838086.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-02-26T18:56:07+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T22:14:38+00:00","description":"In the age of re-emerging great power competition, what is the strategic utility of low-yield nuclear weapons?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2838086.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2838086.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/02\/26\/nonstrategic-nukes-what-are-they-good-for\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Special Multimedia Reports","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/","ad_zone":"smr"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Nuclear Triad","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/","ad_zone":"nuclear-triad"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Nonstrategic nukes: What are they good for?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2838086.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27241"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74969,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27241\/revisions\/74969"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27241"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=27241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}