The head of the Strategic Command of the US Armed Forces (AF), Admiral Charles Richard, assessed the possibility of a nuclear war with Russia or China. He believes that such a conflict is quite possible, and is confident that Washington should change its approach to nuclear deterrence against this background. He wrote about it in an article for the official publication of the United States Naval Institute.
According to him, since the collapse of the USSR, the Pentagon has not had to consider the possibility of a direct military clash with a nuclear power, but the situation has now changed.
“There is a real possibility that a regional crisis with Russia or China could quickly escalate into a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, if, in their opinion, in case of defeat with the use of conventional weapons, there would be a threat to the political order or the state,” Richard said.
He added that Washington should not rule out the possibility of using nuclear weapons by potential adversaries.
According to the admiral, Russia and China allegedly began to pursue an aggressive policy while the US Department of Defense focused on the fight against terrorism. He said that countries are challenging international norms using force “unseen since the height of the Cold War,” and urged that such actions not be left unanswered.
He also stresses that the US Department of Defense is now ignoring the threat of nuclear conflicts due to the shift in emphasis on the fight against terrorism.
In an interview with The Washington Times, the admiral explained that his article is intended to encourage the leadership of the US Navy to “take more action on the rapidly changing nature of threats.”
Richard stressed that the United States must “actively compete” in order to contain the aggression of other countries.
“By yielding to their initiatives, we run the risk of reinforcing their beliefs that the United States is unwilling or unable to respond, which could further provoke them,” the American admiral concluded.
