Oleg Davigora20:20, 12.10.23

The US should extend the life of ballistic missile submarines and deploy more tactical nuclear weapons in Asia and Europe.

The United States should prepare for possible simultaneous war with China  and Russia by expanding its conventional forces, strengthening alliances and expanding its nuclear weapons modernization program, a bipartisan panel appointed by Congress said Thursday.

The report of the commission on strategic policy appeared against the background of tension in relations with China over Taiwan and other issues, as well as aggravation of misunderstandings with Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine, writes  Reuters.

A senior official involved in the report declined to say whether the intelligence briefings indicated any cooperation between China and Russia on nuclear weapons.

“We are concerned… There may be some final coordination between them that will lead us to this two-war construct,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

The results would upend the current US national security strategy, which calls for winning one conflict and deterring another, and would require a huge increase in defense spending with uncertain support from Congress.

The report contrasts with US President Joe Biden’s position that the current US nuclear arsenal is sufficient to deter the combined forces of Russia and China.

“The United States and its allies must be prepared to deter and defeat both adversaries simultaneously,” the strategic policy commission said. “The US-led international order and the values ​​it stands for are under threat from the authoritarian regimes of China and Russia.”

In 2022, Congress created a panel of six Democrats and six Republicans to assess U.S. threats and recommend changes to U.S. conventional and nuclear forces.

Chinese and Russian threats will become acute between 2027 and 2035, so “decisions must be made now so that the nation is ready,” the 145-page report says.

The report says the 30-year US nuclear weapons modernization program, which began in 2010 and was estimated in 2017 at $400 billion by 2046, must be fully funded to modernize all warheads, delivery systems and infrastructure.

The US should also extend the life of ballistic missile submarines and deploy more tactical nuclear weapons in Asia and Europe.

US-China relations – details

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu avoided talks with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin at a security summit in Singapore, but said during a speech that his country is committed to dialogue with the United States .

China is actively preparing for war with the United States , as evidenced in particular by American intelligence data. This was stated by John Bolton, a former adviser to the previous US President Donald Trump.

(C)UNIAN 2023