Nuclear Weapons:
Pentagon drafting a new U.S. nuclear strategy in case of regional war with China or Russia, sources say
The Defense Department’s policy chief is drafting a new U.S. nuclear strategy that emphasizes the possible use of shorter-range tactical weapons in case of a regional war with China or Russia, according to five people familiar with the plans. The new strategy, which is classified, challenges the approach to nuclear weapons that has been settled policy for decades… Colby has long pushed for an emphasis on tactical weapons, arguing that America’s adversaries would simply not believe the U.S. would seriously contemplate launching long-range weapons aimed at wiping out an enemy’s nuclear forces — as is the emphasis of the
Pentagon reviewing plans for low-level nuclear war: thebulletin.org/2026/09/pentagons-secret-plan-reviving-cold-war-doctrines-to-lower-the-threshold-for-nuclear-war/
Policy chief fears a regional nuclear conflict will dangerously escalate – The Washington Times https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/18/pentagon-reviewing-plans-low-level-nuclear-war/
- The NNSA Administrator is explicitly turning NNSA back into a nuclear weapons production agency. “NNSA is a production organization,” Williams said. “NNSA has always been a production organization all the way back to the Manhattan Project… But Williams said production is only one piece of the culture he is trying to establish. “Starting with deterrence really inspires people,” he said. “Urgency, because our times have changed.””
That only reinforces my opinion that we need to puncture the myth of deterrence. It’s not that deterrence is a lie, but that it’s a half-truth. The other side of the equation is that the U.S. and Russia have always maintain nuclear warfighting capabilities, which is why we have 1,000s of nuclear weapons and a $2 trillion “modernization” program to keep them forever.
- NNSA held a mock flight test for the new-design W93 warhead two years before the expected real flight test. The point is the W93 is rapidly moving. $1.1 billion requested for FY 2027. $1.9 billion requested for each of the next 4 years after that. It is to receive new plutonium pits from the Savannah River Site (SRS), which is increasingly in doubt. More pit production for LANL? Will new-design nuclear weapons prompt the U.S. back into testing?
Nuclear weapons budget:
9/4/26 Exchange Monitor: Trump signs continuing resolution and shutdown averted exchangemonitor.com/trump-signs-continuing-resolution-and-shutdown-averted-cole-still-criticizes-senate/
Plutonium pit production:
As per the FY 2027 Continuing Resolution, pit production at LANL will be held to the FY 2026 funding level of $1.3 billion until December 11. However, it is slated to get a full $1 billion increase to $2.3 billion for FY 2027.
Accelerating Arms Race:
- https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/02/world/middleeast/iran-nuclear-program-iaea.html – Status of Iran’s Nuclear Program Is Unclear, U.N. Watchdog Says Sept. 2, 2026 – As the war sputters on, an internal report from the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran’s refusal to grant access to its inspectors was an urgent concern. Iran is continuing to deny inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog access to its nuclear facilities so they cannot verify the location and status of Iran’s near bomb-grade uranium, according to an internal report from the agency. “The agency’s lack of information about this material and access to facilities to verify it is a matter of proliferation concern,” said the report, by the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael M. Grossi. He called on Iran to allow agency inspectors into the country “with the utmost urgency.”
- https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/29/asia-pacific/south-korea-nuclear-weapons-survey/ – Majority in South Korea want nukes, survey says, amid U.S. defense concerns – Almost two-thirds of South Koreans back their country acquiring its own nuclear weapons, a new survey has shown, amid growing concerns over the U.S. commitment to protecting its ally. According to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday, 65% of those surveyed said that South Korea should have its own nuclear weapons, while 30% are opposed to the idea. The survey, which was conducted on 1,001 South Koreans from Tuesday to Thursday and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, came after U.S. President Donald Trump’s sudden order to slash joint military exercises with Seoul earlier this month.
- https://united24media.com/world/nato-weighs-nuclear-expansion-as-poland-finland-lithuania-emerge-as-options-21249 – NATO Weighs Nuclear Expansion as Poland, Finland, Lithuania Emerge as Options – NATO is currently examining options to position additional American nuclear capabilities across Europe as a response to threats posed by Russia. Poland, Finland, and Lithuania are under consideration as potential host countries, according to Süddeutschen Zeitung on July 31. The discussions include Poland aiming to join the Nuclear Sharing program, Finland lifting its long-standing prohibition on nuclear weapons transit and import, and the Lithuanian parliament reviewing legislation to remove its constitutional ban on nuclear deployments.
- https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2026/07/saudi-us-nuclear-deal-abraham-accords-123-agreement – What We Know About the U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal – Peaceful nuclear cooperation agreements, known colloquially as 123 agreements (after the relevant section in the U.S. Atomic Energy Act), rarely make headlines, but this one stands out. Although the administration has not yet released the full text, the agreement reportedly will not require Riyadh to categorically forgo fuel cycle activities that would be conducive to a nuclear weapons program (namely enrichment and reprocessing) or to accept the highest standard of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, known as the Additional Protocol, or AP.
