The Defense Department announced Monday that it has formally begun preparing a new Nuclear Posture Review for the Donald Trump administration. In a brief statement, the Pentagon said Defense Secretary James Mattis “directed the commencement of the review, which will be led by the deputy secretary of defense and the vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and include interagency partners.”
Trump in January signed a national security memorandum directing the development of a new Nuclear Posture Review that will establish the nation’s nuclear arms policy for up to a decade. The last review was issued in 2010 under then-President Barack Obama.
Robert Work, an Obama administration holdover, remains in his position as deputy secretary of defense. The White House announced last month it intends to nominate for the role Patrick Shanahan, currently Boeing’s senior vice president of supply chain and operations. Gen. Paul Selva has served since 2015 as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A senior National Security Council official said last month that an interagency team would review every piece of U.S. nuclear policy, including the former administration’s broad end goal of a world without nuclear weapons. Other issues to be addressed include the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and a potential response to Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein also said in February that the review would consider the weapons and nuclear yields necessary for the U.S. arsenal, suggesting that future national policy could include an increased number of lower-yield nuclear weapons. Although specific policy decisions remain to be seen, observers say the review process will likely address modernization of all three legs of the nuclear triad.
Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Hillson, spokeswoman for the Defense Department, said by email that the review “will ensure we will continue to maintain a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent.” She also said the review “will not conclude before the President has reviewed and approved its findings and recommendations.”
The Defense Department said it will submit a final report to Trump by the end of the year. A Senate Armed Services Committee staffer, Rob Soofer, is rumored to be under consideration for a Pentagon job that would give him significant responsibility during the review process.
