{"id":135104,"date":"2018-03-20T17:38:56","date_gmt":"2018-03-20T17:38:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/03\/20\/stratcom-head-to-deter-russia-us-needs-new-low-yield-nukes\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:44:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:44:38","slug":"stratcom-head-to-deter-russia-us-needs-new-low-yield-nukes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/03\/20\/stratcom-head-to-deter-russia-us-needs-new-low-yield-nukes\/","title":{"rendered":"To deter Russia, US needs new low-yield nukes, says STRATCOM head"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 During a congressional hearing, the head of U.S. Strategic Command defended the Trump administration\u2019s view that the United States will need new low-yield nuclear weapons to help deter Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review<\/a> recommends building two new \u201clow-yield\u201d nuclear weapons for the U.S. Navy: a low-yield warhead for existing submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or SLBM, and a nuclear-capable cruise missile that could be used by subs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he \u201cstrongly agrees\u201d the Pentagon should procure those weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat capability is a deterrence weapon to respond to the threat that Russia in particular is portraying,\u201d he said. \u201c[Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin announced as far back as April of 2000 that the Russian doctrine<\/a> will be to use a low-yield nuclear weapon on the battlefield in case of a conventional overmatch with an adversary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That strategy has been called \u201cescalate to deescalate<\/a>,\u201d meaning that Russia would employ low-yield, tactical nuclear weapons<\/a> in a conventional battle. The thought is that the United States would either be forced to escalate the conflict with higher-yield, strategic nukes \u2014 something the U.S. could be loathe to do \u2014 or to concede. <\/p>\n\n\n\t