Pentagon chief: Russia ‘modernizing and expanding its nuclear arsenal’

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said Russia is “modernizing and expanding its nuclear arsenal,” as Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that Moscow could use nukes to protect its territory.   

President Joe Biden has warned of the risk of nuclear "Armageddon" amid a persisting US campaign accusing Moscow of planning to use nukes against Ukraine.

The Pentagon chief made the remarks on Friday at a ceremony for the new head of US Strategic Command (STRATCOM), Anthony Cotton. The agency is in charge of strategic nuclear deterrence, nuclear operations and missile defense.   

Austin said STRATCOM would face several challenges in the near future, including the expanding Russian nuclear arsenal and Chinese nuclear forces that are growing, modernizing and diversifying.

“And as the Kremlin continues its cruel and unprovoked war of choice against Ukraine, the whole world has seen Putin engage in deeply irresponsible nuclear saber-rattling,” he said.

“So make no mistake. Nuclear powers have a profound responsibility to avoid provocative behavior, and to lower the risk of proliferation, and to prevent escalation and nuclear war,” he continued.

Russia and the United States together hold around 90 percent of the world's nuclear warheads - enough to destroy the planet many times over.   Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, with close to 6,000 warheads, according to experts.

Putin this week said that Russia’s nuclear arsenal would only be a “factor of deterrence” in the war with Ukraine.

He has said that Russia would be willing to use nuclear weapons to defend its territory.

Putin said in October that Russia does not intend to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, but President Biden questioned his intentions, accusing him of threatening to use nuclear, biological and chemical weapons to make up for his nation's "under-performing" army.

Austin claimed STRATCOM’s goal is to deter conflict and keep the peace, which he said means a secure, safe and effective American nuclear arsenal as the “ultimate backstop” against attacks on the US and its allies.

 “And we all understand that nuclear deterrence isn’t just a numbers game,” he said. “In fact, that sort of thinking can spur a dangerous arms race.”

US will be the first country to pull the nuclear trigger: Academic

The United States will be the first country to pull the nuclear trigger, an American academic and political commentator has warned.

An American journalist and political commentator has said that the statements by US officials suggest Washington's next move in Ukraine may be nuclear.

“Russia is not about to collapse in Ukraine, whatsoever. The US is trying to create a narrative, based on a couple of tactical retreats, that scares the life out of me, because it sounds like they intend to set off a small nuclear device in Ukraine, blame it on Moscow and use it as an excuse to make complete war on Russia,” said New York-based radio host Don DeBar.

“The American public has already been prepared for this by the media, for sure. This projection by the US is preparing the rest of the world for it, too,” he noted.

“The Russian nuclear doctrine was stated because the US has stated its intent to take down the Russian government. The Russians are pointing out that this will not be tolerated and they will use every weapon in their arsenal to prevent it, including nuclear weapons,” he observed.

Pentagon policy document on nuclear arms

The Pentagon released its annual report last month on China, which said the Asian nation has doubled its number of nuclear warheads in a fraction of the time the US expected it to.

China could have roughly 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2038 – which are far less than what the United States possesses right now. The US maintained 5,550 nuclear warheads as of December 1 of this year.

But US military officials keep claiming that China will soon surpass Russia as the top nuclear threat to the United States, warning that the two nuclear powers have no mechanisms to avoid miscommunication.

US says 'nuclear war must never be fought,’ after Putin warning

The United States has said that a “nuclear war is something that must never be fought,” after Putin stated that nuclear tensions had risen because of the war in Ukraine.

They say, unlike Russia, Washington does not have any treaties or dialogue mechanism with China on the issue to "alleviate any misperceptions or confusion."The US and Russia remain the world’s largest holders and developers of nuclear weapons, followed by Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and the Israeli regime, which has not declared its possession of nuclear warheads but does not deny having them. The Israeli regime does not allow any international inspection of its nuclear facilities either.

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