Preparing for Adversary Employment of Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons: Tactical Effects, Operational Impacts, Strategic Implications

Authors

• James H. Gifford, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University

Abstract

For more than 30 years after the Cold War, the United States largely operated without facing the threat of nuclear weapons on the battlefield. Recent nuclear threats from adversaries such as Russia, however, have renewed the need to prepare for the possible use of nonstrategic nuclear weapons. This article explains the distinction between strategic and nonstrategic nuclear weapons and assesses the consequences of limited nuclear use at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels of war. A nuclear strike could produce severe casualties and equipment losses at the tactical level, create medical, logistical, and civilian challenges at the operational level, and generate broader risks of escalation, deterrence failure, and strategic miscalculation. The article argues that U.S. leaders must develop, rehearse, and wargame response policies in advance so they can accurately assess nuclear effects, manage escalation, communicate strategically, and determine whether a nuclear or conventional response is appropriate. Preparing before a crisis is essential to reducing the risk of catastrophic miscalculation.