Department of Defense announces plans for B61-13 nuclear bomb, pending congressional approval.

According to a statement that was issued by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on October 27, 2023, it has been claimed that the United States is looking into the possibility of developing a new version of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb that would be designated as the B61-13. In order for the reform to take place, authorization and funding from Congress are needed. Defense Space Policy Assistant Secretary John Plumb said, "Today's announcement is reflective of a changing security environment and growing threats from potential adversaries." The quote was included in the news release.

According to the press release, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which is part of the United States Department of Energy, will produce the B61-13 with the intention of strengthening deterrence and ensuring allies. With the new bomb, which will be transportable by existing aircraft, the President will have greater options for taking military action against precise hard targets as well as wide-area military objectives. It has a yield that is comparable to that of the B61-7, which is higher than that of the B61-12, and some of the B61-7 bombs in the existing arsenal will be replaced by some of them.

A news statement included a quote from Assistant Secretary Plumb, who said that "the B61-13 represents a reasonable step to manage the challenges of a highly dynamic security environment." He went on to emphasize that the addition of the B61-13 would not result in an increase in the total number of nuclear weapons held by the United States.

The initiative, as it is characterized in the statement, is a component of a bigger effort to assess the security landscape. It is not a reaction to any particular recent development but rather a reaction to the landscape as a whole. Before the B61-13 may proceed with its development or deployment, it must first receive authorization from Congress.