The United States has secretly amended its nuclear defence strategy to recognise that it is facing a ‘triple-threat’ from Russia, China and North Korea.
For the first time it is feared that these countries are considering a coordinated nuclear attack on the US and its allies, including Britain.
Previously, it was the threat posed by Russia that was uppermost in the US and NATO’s nuclear policy. But with the rapid rise in China’s nuclear stockpile in particular the US has been forced to rethink.
The Mail Online reports: Over the next decade China’s arsenal is expected to rival that of the US and Britain, while North Korea, which with Russian assistance is seeking to enhance its nuclear capability, is also considered a threat.
Already North Korea is considered a nuclear power on the level of Pakistan or Israel, but it is on a trajectory to surpass the capabilities of these states, according to US officials.
The strategy change is understood to have been approved by President Joe Biden in March.
The classified document reflecting this change is apparently so secret that no electronic copies exist. Hard copies are shared between officials with the highest security clearance.
This is the first time the US has recognised that the country and its allies, such as the UK, face multiple nuclear-armed adversaries who would be prepared to confront the West as an alliance.
Former nuclear strategist Vipin Narang said the West needs to ‘deter Russia, China and North Korea simultaneously’ with a combination of nuclear and non-nuclear weapons.
The move also follows an uptick in joint Russian-Chinese military exercises, and closer Russian relations with North Korea.
China’s nuclear arsenal is considered the fastest growing in the world.