An ongoing review of the U.S. nuclear weapons posture might call for the country to continue arming some of its attack submarines with nuclear-tipped Tomahawk cruise missiles, Kyodo News reported (see GSN, March 24).
(Jul. 31) -
The United States might continue placing nuclear warheads on some Tomahawk cruise missiles, like the one shown above, a senior U.S. official said (U.S. Navy photo).
Washington will look to friendly nations to help decide whether to retire the weapons, a high-level U.S. official told Kyodo News. Japan has asked the United States to consult with partner governments before rolling back any nonstrategic nuclear-weapon deployments, according to the news service.
One U.S. ally has expressed support for the missiles' deterrent value, the official said without naming the country. Some Japanese officials have contended that the weapons help to counter nuclear threats from China and North Korea.
Nuclear-armed cruise missiles are not ideal weapons because they would require submarines and aircraft to move relatively close to a target, according to some U.S. military analysts. Such weapons typically have fairly short ranges, although some are designed to fly over 1,800 miles.
The Bush administration moved to reassess the use of nuclear-armed cruise missiles -- and to consider gradually scrapping the weapons -- but the final decision on their deployment has been delayed pending completion of the comprehensive Nuclear Posture Review (Kyodo News/Breitbart.com, July 30).