Elbridge Colby, the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, is reported to be behind a change in US nuclear strategy that would place greater emphasis on tactical nuclear weapons, a change that critics say would make them more likely to be used. Colby discussed his policy at U.S. Strategic Command’s 2026 Deterrence Symposium in Omaha, Nebraska on Wednesday. The strategy is designed to address scenarios in which US allies come under attack from Russia or China in a regional conflict, The Telegraph reported, citing an NBC story, which cited sources “familiar with the plans.”
A senior US Defense Department official told NBC: “Our view is that we need credible nuclear options.” The strategy would not restrict Donald Trump’s choices but instead “expand the president’s option space by providing him with realistic and credible options and therefore strengthen deterrence,” the official said. In Colby’s view, a strategic nuclear response is not a “credible” option in a regional “conflict.” The dangerous flaw in that approach is that the use of a tactical nuclear weapon in such a scenario is unlikely to stay “regional,” or remain “limited.”
