This includes whether to increase the alert level for U.S. nukes.
This remarkable turn of events is made more remarkable by the fact that Putin and Biden had issued a statement at their Geneva summit less than a full year ago that seemed more in line with the Cold War idea that nuclear war was an old threat. They agreed that nuclear war could not be won and should never be fought.
Putin instructed his military and defense officials on Sunday to place nuclear forces under a “special regimen of combat duty.” However, it wasn’t immediately clear how this might have affected the status of Russian nuclear force. Russia maintains its land-based intercontinental missiles (or ICBMs) in a high state-of-preparation at all times. It is also believed that Russian submarine-based nukes are similarly positioned.
Putin stated that he was reacting to the economic sanctions imposed in recent days by the United States and other Western countries for his invasion Ukraine. He also made “aggressive remarks regarding our country” which he didn’t further elaborate on.
The Biden administration was assessing Putin’s actions, and it stated that this unnecessarily escalates a already dangerous conflict. Putin’s words are a threat that was not heard during Cold War, when the United States and former Soviet Union had vastly greater nuclear arsenals, and threatened the world with nuclear Armageddon.
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE RISK of NUCLEAR WAR
While they were disturbed by Putin’s statements, U.S. officials indicated that they do not know his intentions. It is rare for a Russian or American leader to make an implied nuclear threat. This is especially true in the current situation in Ukraine. Like the United States, Russia’s president is the only one authorized to declare a nuclear attack.
Russia and the United States have the largest nuclear arsenals anywhere in the world. These weapons can be delivered by plane, submarine, and land-based missiles. Nuclear weapons were never used in combat in history until August 1945 when the United States bombed Japan twice. At that time, the United States held a worldwide monopoly on nuclear weapons. In 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tested its first nuclear bomb.
Daryl Kimball is the executive director of Arms Control Association. He said that Putin’s decision to increase nuclear alert was regrettable, but not surprising, given his past threats against any country trying to stop him in Ukraine.
Kimball stated that “inserting nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war equation is extremely dangerous” and that the United States, President Biden and NATO should act with extreme restraint and not respond in kind. “This is a dangerous time in the crisis and we must urge our leaders not to go to the nuclear brink.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SET NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON ALERT
The U.S. nuclear doctrine states that the weapon’s alert level is crucial to deterring an attack. It is believed that an enemy will be less likely to attack if they are prepared to respond quickly and could risk incalculable damage from retaliation.
One counterargument states that keeping ICBMs, the Pentagon considers the most responsive part of its nuclear arsenal and on high alert during a crisis reduces a president’s decision-making space, but leaves the door open for the possibility of launching them in response to a false alarm. All 400 U.S. ICBMs in deployment are armed at all time.
Some experts in arms control have advocated for taking ICBMs off alert and separating their nuclear warheads. In a crisis like Sunday’s, the decision to rearm the missiles could be seen as an escalatory step that could worsen the situation.
During the Cold War, U.S. weapons were more plentiful than ever and in greater readiness. George H.W. President George H.W. Bush took the unprecedented step of putting U.S. nuclear-capable strategic air bombers on alert in 1991 as part of a larger effort to end the nuclear arms race. Since then, the bombers have been on alert.
HOW DID THE UNITED STATES REPOND TO PUTIN SO Far?
There is no evidence to suggest that the Biden administration has reacted in any way to Putin’s announcement that his nuclear forces would be placed under a “special regimen of combat duty”. This may be partly because it is not clear what this means.
Washington did not provide any evidence of Putin’s worrying actions, such as loading nuclear weapons onto all or part of Russia’s nuclear-capable aircraft fleets or sending more ballistic missile submarines out to sea.
Putin also has a few thousand so-called “nonstrategic” nuclear weapons. These include shorter-range missiles and cruise missiles. Because they are not able to reach U.S. territory, they are considered nonstrategic. However, this is not a comfort to the European countries that have these weapons. The United States currently has around 200 non-strategic weapons in Europe. These are bombs that could be delivered by Europe’s aircraft.
Some U.S. officials worry that Putin might resort to non-strategic nukes if he is faced with losing a war in Europe. This would be a quick way to end the conflict on his terms.
