Kathleen H. Hicks Deputy Secretary of Defense | Official Website
The Secretary of Defense has delivered an unclassified report to Congress detailing the United States' nuclear employment strategy. This document, known as the 491 Report, is in line with 10 U.S.C. Section 491 and offers a non-classified overview of the Presidential nuclear employment guidance issued by President Biden earlier this year. The submission precedes the release of classified implementation guidance to the Department and Joint Force.
The report outlines updates from previous presidential employment guidance. Such updates are essential for ensuring that U.S. nuclear forces, plans, and posture continue to evolve, maintaining the nation's ability to deter adversaries, assure allies and partners, and meet national objectives if deterrence fails.
The revised guidance addresses new deterrence challenges arising from the growth, modernization, and increasing diversity of potential adversaries' nuclear arsenals. It builds on insights from the 2022 National Defense Strategy and Nuclear Posture Review and directly informs the development of nuclear employment options for consideration by the President in extreme circumstances to protect vital U.S. interests along with those of its allies and partners.
Furthermore, the guidance instructs that plans should account for deterring multiple nuclear-armed adversaries simultaneously; it also calls for integrating non-nuclear capabilities where feasible to support the nuclear deterrence mission. The importance of escalation management is emphasized in planning responses to limited nuclear attacks or significant non-nuclear strategic attacks. Additionally, it encourages deeper consultation, coordination, and combined planning with allies and partners to bolster U.S. extended deterrence commitments.
The 491 Report is available for public access.
