The Nuclear Posture Review: Overview and Emerging Issues (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Jan. 31, 2002 |
| Report Number |
RS21133 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Amy F. Woolf, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
The Bush Administration released the results of its Nuclear Posture Review in January 2002.
That
study states that the United States will no longer base its nuclear planning on the need to address the
"Russian threat." Instead, it will develop forces with the capabilities needed to address a range of
threats from unspecified countries. Furthermore, offensive nuclear weapons will combine with
missile defenses and conventional strike weapons to deter and defeat potential threats. The United
States will reduce its nuclear forces to between 1,700 and 2,200 "operationally deployed" warheads,
and will place many of the warheads removed from deployed forces in reserve, as part of a
"responsive force." It will also strengthen its nuclear infrastructure so that it can be more
"responsive" in sustaining the reliability of U.S. nuclear forces in the future. This study has raised
numerous issues, such as how deep the reductions in nuclear forces will actually be, the potential
need for new nuclear weapons in the future, and the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. defense and
national security policy.
