Biden strategy shift limits role of nuclear arms as China, Russia expand arsenals

The Biden administration has quietly reduced the role of nuclear weapons in American defense strategy by eliminating a decades-long policy of using nuclear arms to hedge against future developments and threats.

The U.S. is shifting its policy as China and Russia increase the sizes of their strategic arsenals and upgrade their doctrines on when to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.

The latest Nuclear Posture Review quietly eliminates a formal role for the U.S. nuclear arsenal as a “hedge against an uncertain future.” The phrase was included in the Trump administration’s 2018 Nuclear Posture Review...