New weapons worries

last updated 8 January 2015

Washington, D.C.

The Pentagon wants to put non-nuclear warheads on submarine-launched missiles, but some military strategists worry that the move could actually increase the threat of nuclear war. The Defense Department has asked Congress for money to develop non-nuclear tips for the submarine-launched Trident II missile, which now carries only a nuclear payload. Because it can be fired more quickly than a nuke, the new weapon could be used when the U.S. needs to move rapidly to neutralize a threat—to take out a terrorist missile armed with nerve gas, for example. But critics worry that China or Russia might detect the firing of a Trident II and not realize it is armed with a conventional warhead. Wrongly assuming the U.S. had launched a pre-emptive nuclear attack, they could retaliate with a nuclear strike. But the U.S. Strategic Command said the system would greatly enhance the Pentagon’s ability to “pre-empt conventionally” while reducing the risk of “collateral damage.”