The 16th U.S. Strategic Command Deterrence Symposium convened Aug. 14 in Omaha, Neb., bringing together academic, government, military and international experts to address nuclear strategy, weapons modernization and the challenge of deterring two nuclear-armed great powers simultaneously.
The symposium is STRATCOM’s primary annual forum for engaging outside expertise on the central challenges of U.S. nuclear deterrence policy.
Themes included nuclear deterrence strategy, strategic weapons modernization priorities and great power competition, according to STRATCOM. The event comes as the U.S. nuclear modernization program advances through development and early production phases.
The United States is simultaneously developing the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile and the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, a nuclear triad recapitalization estimated to cost more than $1.5 trillion over its lifecycle.
China’s expanding nuclear arsenal, which the Pentagon estimates could reach 1,500 warheads by 2035, and Russia’s continued strategic posture were focal points at the symposium. For the first time in the nuclear age, the United States faces two near-peer nuclear competitors simultaneously.
The modernization programs are funded through the Department of War and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the nuclear warheads themselves. Budget pressures on both agencies could affect modernization timelines.
Arms control experts have called for renewed diplomatic engagement alongside modernization efforts, while defense hawks argue that credible modernization is a prerequisite for effective deterrence.