US Military Options Should Not Include Starting a Nuclear War

The United States keeps nuclear weapons to deter nuclear attacks from other countries. However, it also reserves the right to use its nuclear weapons first—for example, in response to a non-nuclear attack by Russia, China, or North Korea. These countries also have nuclear weapons and could respond to a US nuclear attack in kind. The United States will have started a nuclear war—with potentially devastating consequences.

A no-first-use policy—in which the United States declares it will never use nuclear weapons first—would remove the ability of the United States to start a nuclear war, increasing global security.

Taking first use off the table makes us all safer.