A bipartisan group formed by Congress stated on Thursday that in order to be ready for potential simultaneous battles with China and Russia, the US has to bolster its nuclear weapons modernization program, build alliances, and increase its conventional military capabilities.
The Strategic Posture Commission's study is released at a time when tensions are rising between Russia and China over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other problems, including Taiwan.
Regarding whether the panel's intelligence briefings revealed any cooperation between China and Russia on nuclear weapons, a senior official engaged in the study declined to comment.
Under condition of anonymity, the official stated, "We worry that there might be ultimate coordination between them in some way, which gets us to this two-war construct."
The conclusions would undermine the existing national security policy of the United States, which calls for winning one war while preventing another and necessitates significant increases in defense budget with unclear legislative support.
The report's preamble was written by Democratic chair Madelyn Creedon, a former deputy head of the U.S. nuclear weapons organization, and Republican senator Jon Kyl, a retired senator. "We do recognize budget realities, but we also believe the nation must make these investments," they stated.
The study runs counter to U.S. President Joe Biden's assertion that the country's present nuclear arsenal is adequate to thwart the combined might of China and Russia.
The advocacy organization Arms Control Association responded to the report by saying that the arsenal's composition "still exceeds what is necessary to hold a sufficient number of adversary targets at risk so as to deter enemy nuclear attack."
The Strategic Posture Commission declared, "The United States and its allies must be ready to deter and defeat both adversaries simultaneously." "The U.S.-led international order and the values it upholds are at risk from the Chinese and Russian authoritarian regimes."
A group including six Democrats and six Republicans was established by Congress in 2022 to evaluate long-term threats to the United States and suggest adjustments to the country's conventional and nuclear weapons.
The panel agreed with a Pentagon estimate that by 2035, China's quick build-up of its nuclear arsenal will probably give it 1,500 nuclear weapons, putting the US in direct competition with another powerful nuclear-armed nation for the first time.
"Decisions need to be made now in order for the nation to be prepared," the 145-page research stated, citing the escalating risks from China and Russia between 2027 and 2035.