US Department of Defense Deploys Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead Submarines in Active Service..."Securing Deterrence Against Potential Adversaries"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Department of Defense announced that it has deployed submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) equipped with low-yield nuclear warheads, which have less destructive power than strategic nuclear weapons. Although low-yield nuclear warheads are known to cause less lethality and radioactive contamination compared to strategic nuclear weapons, they are conversely considered more likely to be used in actual combat. Following Russia, the U.S. is also strengthening its tactical nuclear forces, raising concerns that the nuclear arms race between the two countries will intensify further after the withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).

On the 4th (local time), the U.S. Department of Defense stated in a press release that the U.S. Navy has deployed the W76-2 missile, an SLBM equipped with a low-yield nuclear warhead, on submarines. The Department of Defense emphasized that this deployment will help strengthen deterrence against potential adversaries such as Russia. Previously, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) revealed that the U.S. Navy had equipped the low-yield nuclear weapon on the USS Tennessee, a U.S. nuclear submarine, and deployed it in the Atlantic Ocean, but this is the first time the U.S. Department of Defense has officially confirmed it through a statement. This marks the first-ever deployment of low-yield nuclear warheads on submarines by the U.S. military.

Low-yield nuclear warheads refer to nuclear weapons with less destructive power than strategic nuclear weapons. They have a yield of about 5 kilotons (kt), roughly 1/100th the power of typical SLBM nuclear warheads. They are known to produce about 10% of the radioactive contamination compared to strategic nuclear weapons. Because of this, they are considered more likely to be used in actual combat than strategic nuclear weapons. Despite their lower yield, they can devastate an area within a 2 km blast radius, making them extremely powerful weapons compared to conventional arms.

Since the withdrawal from the INF Treaty, the nuclear arms race between Russia and the U.S. has intensified. As Russia showcases new nuclear capabilities such as hypersonic cruise missiles, support for low-yield nuclear weapons is spreading within the U.S. It is analyzed that low-yield nuclear weapons, which are more likely to be used because strategic nuclear weapons have such massive destructive power that mutual assured destruction deters their use, will provide effective deterrence.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.