PRESIDENT Trump and his military chiefs believe the US’ nuclear weapons are seen as too big to be used, and that this means that the US is not being taken seriously enough.
It is therefore determined to develop low-yield bombs, that could take out entire cities, and be the opening round of a full-scale nuclear war, if the ‘enemy’ refuses to fall into line.
The Pentagon document released on Friday, known as the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) names China, Russia, North Korea and Iran as the enemy that could be informed under this new tactic that if they do not conform to US requirements, tactical nuclear weapons will be used against them.
The US now wants to develop low-yield weapons with a strength of under 20 kilotons that would be delivered from either land bases, submarines or by fighter planes to take out selected targets.
US imperialism is attempting to serve a suicide note to the entire human race if it refuses to bend the knee.
China has protested at this new US turn, insisting that it is not a nuclear rival of the US ruling class, calling on Washington to reduce its much larger nuclear arsenal and join in efforts to promote regional stability.
However, the 74-page US Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) report refuses to accept this and says Beijing considers that a limited use of nuclear weapons by itself was acceptable. Only the US will be allowed to practise this policy.
It dismissed the Chinese statement that Beijing would resolutely stick to the peaceful development of nuclear weapons and pursue a national defence policy that was defensive in nature. The statement added that under no circumstances would China use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones.
The Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman added in vain that: ‘We hope the US will abandon a Cold War mentality and earnestly shoulder its special and primary responsibility for its own nuclear disarmament, understand correctly China’s strategic intentions, and take a fair view on China’s national defence and military development.’
The Russian foreign ministry accused the US of warmongering, and said it would take ‘necessary measures’ to ensure Russian security.
General Mattis, the US Defence Secretary, last Thursday met with the UK Defence Secretary Williamson in the Pentagon and told him that if the UK wants a special relationship with the US it had better increase its military spending not cut it.
A US official said that the Mattis message was: ‘We get you have got other things like the NHS to spend money on, but so have we. When we see your forces now, you have got some great capability, but how sustainable is that?’ He was told that the UK had better increase military spending or forget the special relationship.
However, the new US military doctrine does not reflect any strength of US imperialism, but reflects its desperation and its weakness, as it struggles to restore the position that the US ruling class had after the fall of East Germany and the retreat of the Red Army from Eastern Europe.
In fact Trump is a gambler. Having massively increased the US national debt with his trillion dollars of tax cuts for the rich, share prices have rocketed and the US stock market has begun to panic.
It fell by 666 points or 2.5 per cent on Friday, with more big falls expected as the US Federal Reserve considers raising its interest rates and deepening the economic crisis. US stocks are currently priced higher than the level reached just before the 1929 crash.
The response of the US administration to this growing crisis for the world is to threaten to nuke its ‘enemies’ if they refuse to get out of its way and allow it to make America great again for the bosses and bankers.
The response of the working class of the world to the declaration of Trump and the US ruling class that they have the right to nuke the planet as they wish must be to overthrow and disarm the US bosses and the bosses of the UK and the EU with socialist revolutions.
This is the only possible reply to the arrogant declaration of the US ruling class and military that they are willing to use tactical nuclear weapons on the working people of the world!
