The United States began deploying the W76-2 low-power nuclear warheads on Trident's marine intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). This was reported on the website of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). US authorities have not yet commented on this news.
According to the Federation of American Scientists, the first submarine to launch the W76-2 on the rockets was the Ohio class USS Tennessee. At the end of 2019, this submarine left the Kings Bay naval base (Georgia) and went to patrol the Atlantic Ocean.
According to the Federation of American Scientists, the power of the W76-2 is about 5 kt (kilotons). At present, W76-1 warheads with a charge of 90 kt and W88 with a capacity of 455 kt are installed on US naval ICBMs.
According to FAS, the first W76-2 was manufactured in February 2019. To date, according to American experts, about 50 of these warheads have been fired. FAS suggests that in the future, one or two ICBMs with W76-2 will be deployed on Ohio class submarines. Each US naval missile can carry up to eight combat units.
According to FAS estimates, in the arsenal of the United States about a thousand units of low-power weapons. In addition to W76-2, these are cruise missiles that can be used by B-52 strategic bombers, and B61 bombs, adapted to drop B-2 planes and tactical fighter aircraft.
Targeted Containment
The development and installation of W76-2 is carried out in accordance with the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), published in February 2018. It speaks of the need for "regional deterrence" of the Russian Federation, China, North Korea and counteraction to the "nuclear ambitions" of Iran.
The authors of the document indicate that while the United States was reducing nuclear forces, Moscow and Beijing allegedly "moved in the opposite direction", and Pyongyang continued the "illegal" development of the nuclear missile program. The NPR notes that Russia and China seek to challenge the "traditional US military superiority in the western Pacific."
- Nuclear submarine USS Tennessee
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- © Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James Kimber / US Navy
Also, the drafters of the document accuse Moscow of allegedly being ready to use tactical nuclear weapons, which are characterized by low power, against the allies of the United States.
According to NPR, Russia supposedly lowers the threshold for the first use of nuclear weapons in a nuclear-free regional conflict. Therefore, the deployment of W76-2 warheads is perceived by the Americans as a “response measure” to potential “threats”, primarily from Moscow.
As explained by The National Nuclear Security Administration, “W76-2 will allow targeted deterrence in the face of changing threats,” providing the United States “a guaranteed opportunity to respond symmetrically to a low-power nuclear attack.”
In June 2019, General Paul Selva, who was then deputy chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Armed Forces, said that the country needed low-power nuclear warheads in the event of a nuclear conflict with Russia. According to him, the United States is not able to proportionally respond to Moscow if it gives the order for a nuclear attack.
As US Deputy Secretary of Defense John Rood said in December, fears that Russia could allegedly use nuclear weapons in the early stages of an armed conflict arose on the basis of relevant intelligence reports and “public statements” by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, the Russian leader has repeatedly reiterated that Moscow adheres to a purely defensive strategy, which involves exclusively retaliatory actions, including in terms of the use of the nuclear arsenal.
Moreover, it is the United States that reserves the right to a preventive nuclear strike. This, in particular, is mentioned in the same “Review of Nuclear Policy”.
At a Senate hearing last March, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, Joseph Dunford, emphasized that Washington should not abandon the concept of a preemptive nuclear attack. In his opinion, such an approach to the use of the nuclear arsenal "complicates the process of decision-making by opponents."
Application threshold
Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the Nuclear Posture Review and the United States’s plans to deploy W76-2. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted earlier, “the development of such low-power ammunition lowers the threshold for using nuclear weapons and, of course, increases the risks of a nuclear conflict.”
Interviewed RT experts adhere to a similar point of view. They believe that deploying even a small amount of W76-2 on strategic media poses a potential security threat to countries that the US sees as its geopolitical adversaries. First of all, we are talking about the states listed in the NPR: Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.
“The advent of low-power warheads on naval ICBMs certainly lowers the threshold for using nuclear weapons. The consequences of using such weapons may be irreversible. The likelihood of a large-scale conflict involving strategic nuclear weapons is increasing, ”said Vadim Kozyulin, professor at the Academy of Military Sciences and senior fellow at the Center for Political Studies of Russia, in an interview with RT.
- Minuteman III ballistic missile launch
- globallookpress.com
- © 2lt. William Collette / ZUMAPRESS.com
The expert noted that the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile with W76-2 can be perceived by the powers possessing an atomic arsenal as a full-scale nuclear aggression.
“Missiles equipped with low-power warheads are included in the strategic submarine ammunition along with ICBMs on which conventional nuclear warheads are installed. And what kind of rocket leaves the mine during the start-up, the control means will not be able to determine, ”said Kozyulin.
In a RT commentary, Vladimir Vinokurov, head of the Center for Military Diplomatic Analysis and Assessment of the League of Military Diplomats, recalled that the United States reproached Russia for having large stockpiles of tactical nuclear weapons, although similar ammunition is “in sufficient quantity” in the arsenals of the United States, France and the United Kingdom.
“Americans have long blamed Russia for having more low-power nuclear weapons in their arsenal than the United States. But everything is not so clear, especially if you add up the arsenals of Western states. In addition, tactical nuclear weapons are not customary to be installed on pronounced strategic carriers such as nuclear submarines, ”said Vinokurov.
According to the expert, hypothetically, the United States may use W76-2 in a regional conflict. The analyst recalled that during the bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, American aircraft used depleted uranium shells to destroy well-fortified targets.
“The use of such ammunition had very serious consequences for the civilian population and the military. Obviously, the explosion of W76-2 will be much more catastrophic. In my opinion, the goal of creating low-power ammunition is to keep local conflict participants at bay, ”summed up Vinokurov.