Moscow is concerned about the deployment of new low-power nuclear weapons W76-2 on U.S. submarines. This was announced to reporters on February 5 by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

“We are responding to this with great anxiety not because we see this as a threat to the security of our country (it’s just that security was reliably ensured as a result of efforts that were made both in terms of weapons and in terms of creating promising models of military equipment), but from the point of view of doctrines and concepts that are used by Americans in the nuclear field. This is very alarming, ”Ryabkov emphasized.

According to him, “the appearance on the strategic carriers of the United States of low-power charges” means that the American side does not exclude the possibility of a nuclear conflict unleashing.

“This is a reflection of the fact that the United States is really lowering the nuclear threshold, that they allow themselves to conduct a limited nuclear war and win in such a war,” the diplomat said.

Ryabkov called on the international community to counteract Washington’s dangerous moves in the nuclear field.

The Pentagon previously announced the deployment of W76-2 in U.S. submarines by posting a statement by John Rood, the US Under Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs.

As a justification for launching the operation of new warheads, the defense spokesperson refers to the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which defines the US long-term strategy for nuclear weapons, in which Russia is listed as a "potential adversary."

“The US Navy commissioned the W76-2 low-power warheads designed for underwater ballistic missiles. In a 2018 Nuclear Policy Review, the ministry identified the need to “modify a small number of nuclear warheads for ballistic submarine-based missiles” in response to the conclusion that potential adversaries, in particular Russia, believe that using low-power nuclear weapons will give them an edge over the United States, as well as their allies and partners, ”the Pentagon spokesman said in a statement.

Rood also called the new W76-2 warheads “an operational, more durable low-power nuclear strategic weapon,” which supposedly “strengthens the US’s potential for“ enhanced deterrence. ” In addition, he said that such warheads "demonstrate to potential adversaries that the limited use of nuclear weapons will not give them an advantage," since the US is supposedly able to "convincingly and decisively respond to any possible threat."

Earlier in an interview with the Associated Press, Rood said that equipping W76-2 low-power warheads with Trident II ballistic missiles carried by US submarines supposedly reduces the risk of nuclear war. According to him, the United States will adhere to the policy of using nuclear weapons only in "emergency circumstances." In addition, as the Pentagon’s deputy head told the agency, the presence of such warheads will help convince Russia not to run the risk of unleashing a nuclear conflict.

  • Nuclear submarine USS Tennessee
  • Reuters
  • © Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James Kimber / US Navy

However, the US Department of Defense representative refused to provide detailed information about W76-2, citing increased secrecy.

At the same time, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) reported last week that the first submarine to launch these warheads on the rocket was the USS Tennessee Ohio class nuclear submarine. According to the non-profit organization, at the end of 2019, this submarine left the Kings Bay naval base (Georgia) and went on patrol of the Atlantic Ocean. However, the American military-political leadership did not comment on this information at that time.

As FAS noted, the power of the W76-2 is about 5 kt (kilotons), while the older version of this type of weapon, the W76-1, has a charge of 90 kt. It is also reported that the first copy of the new warhead was made in February 2019.

“Betting on regional nuclear deterrence”

The Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), cited by the Pentagon in support of the deployment of W76-2, was published in February 2018. The document emphasizes the need for “regional deterrence” of Russia, China, North Korea and counteraction to Iran’s “nuclear ambitions”.

According to the authors of the review, while the American side allegedly reduced its nuclear arsenal, Moscow and Beijing were "moving in the opposite direction," and Pyongyang continued the "illegal" development of the nuclear missile program.

In addition, the NPR emphasizes that Russia and China seek to challenge the "traditional US military superiority in the western Pacific." It is also said that "Russia must understand that any use of nuclear weapons, albeit limited, is unacceptable."

However, the document states that Washington can use its nuclear arsenal in response to a “significant non-nuclear strategic attack”, in particular if it affects the infrastructure, population or command posts of the United States and its allies.

As an expert of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies Sergey Ermakov notes in an interview with RT, the deployment of new W76-2 warheads by the United States is part of Washington’s overall policy of actively modernizing its nuclear arsenal.

“At the core of US nuclear policy, including, is betting on regional deterrence. The “Nuclear Policy Review” openly states that Russia is a geopolitical adversary and, accordingly, the US nuclear arsenal will be directed against it, ”the analyst said.

According to Ermakov, speaking of the new warheads as a “more durable strategic weapon,” the Pentagon deputy head simply meant “extending its life cycle.”

  • Pentagon building
  • AFP
  • © Frederic Wallois

Ermakov draws attention to the fact that the US authorities have not previously commented on the beginning of the deployment of W76-2 warheads.

"They confirmed this information only now, because they want to put additional pressure on other countries, including Russia, in anticipation of a discussion of the fate of START III (Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. - RT )," the expert believes.

“Dangerous and destabilizing step”

This is not the first time Moscow has expressed concern over the plans of the White House to deploy W76-2. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted earlier, “the development of such low-power ammunition lowers the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons and, of course, increases the risks of a nuclear conflict.” He stated this during a press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Muhammad Ali al-Hakim, which took place on a horse in January 2019. According to Lavrov, such US actions do not add security to the modern world.

Similar concerns are voiced by American politicians and experts. Thus, a ban on the operation of modified warheads was contained in one of the versions of the draft Law on Budgetary Appropriations for National Defense (NDAA), which was ultimately not approved.

Democrat Jack Reed also opposed the use of W76-2 during his December Senate speech, where he represents Rhode Island.

“I insist that these weapons will not strengthen our national security, but only increase the risk of miscalculation with grave consequences,” the representative of the Democratic Party said.

Former US Air Force officer, co-founder of the Global Zero International Association for the Suppression of Nuclear Weapons, Bruce Blair, in turn, urged not to "succumb to the illusion" that smaller nuclear weapons are a "more suitable alternative in case of conflict."

"Any use of these weapons will be fraught with the risk of fueling conflict and escalation to a state of full-scale nuclear war," the Associated Press quoted him as saying.

Russian experts also draw attention to the fact that "the arguments of the American authorities about the security and benefits of the flexible use of new nuclear warheads do not withstand any criticism."

“It is precisely such measures as reducing the power of warheads that create the plans of the US military and political leadership for a limited nuclear strike, which Washington will now regard as acceptable. In fact, such steps lead to additional rather large risks, ”said Sergey Ermakov.

The statement of the American side that through the deployment of W76-2 they will be able to more effectively contain Russia, the analyst called nothing more than a "political statement."

“Here the USA is cunning and misusing its concept of force deterrence and intimidation. For Russia, such a weapon does not pose a serious threat, ”the expert explained.

  • US Navy
  • globallookpress.com
  • © US Navy

However, Ermakov emphasized that, in general, the operation of the W76-2 warheads "will make the world security system even more precarious."

“The apparent availability of nuclear weapons and their use without seemingly global consequences lowers the threshold for their use, respectively, in such a situation there can be no talk of stability in the world, in this situation the confrontation between the countries will only increase,” the analyst noted.

It is for this reason that the use of W76-2 warheads by the American side should be regarded as a "dangerous and destabilizing step," Vladimir Batyuk, head of the Center for Military-Political Studies of the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with RT

“Under certain conditions, the operation of the W76-2 could provoke a nuclear conflict. And its consequences will affect everyone without exception, ”the analyst concluded.