China, Russia, North Korea collaborating on nuclear threats Upon Pentagon report

US nuclear forces will need to address the increasing nuclear threats posed simultaneously by China, Russia, and North Korea proceeding from a Pentagon report on nuclear weapons strategy released on November 15.

“The United States confronts multiple nuclear competitors, with each adversary presenting unique challenges for US strategists to confront, stressing strategic stability in diverse ways, and complicating deterrence challenges around the globe,” the unclassified report states, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Russia is characterised as an "acute" nuclear threat, while China is quietly expanding its nuclear arsenal. North Korea is steadily increasing and diversifying its nuclear weapons and delivery systems. Iran poses challenges to strategic stability, despite not yet having nuclear weapons.

 “Any one of these nuclear challenges would be formidable itself, but the evidence of growing collaboration and collusion between Russia, the [People’s Republic of China], the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran makes the situation even more challenging,” the report said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of using nuclear weapons against the West in retaliation for its military support of Ukraine.

As part of its nuclear modernisation, Russia has developed new and advanced strategic weapons, including a nuclear-powered cruise missile, hypersonic strike weapons, and an underwater drone equipped with a megaton-class warhead. China’s nuclear expansion has involved a swift increase in the number of warheads, with the Pentagon projecting that the stockpile could grow to 1,000 in the coming years. 

Meanwhile, North Korea has been expanding its nuclear arsenal and enhancing its long-range missile capabilities. “There is a possibility of coordinated or opportunistic aggression by a combination of adversaries in a crisis or conflict, which requires US strategists to think carefully about complex escalation dynamics and deterring multiple adversaries simultaneously, including in extended crises or conflicts,” the report said. 

The new US nuclear weapons guidance emphasizes that planners must take into account the unified threat posed by enemy nuclear powers.  

By Naila Huseynova