It has now been 75 years since the U.S., under then-President Harry S. Truman, deployed atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a means of expediting a Japanese surrender in World War II. Since August 1945, there has not been a single instance of a nuclear weapon deployed during active wartime hostilities. Nonetheless, the U.S. today touts the same nuclear strike policy that it maintained throughout the entirety of the Cold War: that which retains the threat of a preemptive nuclear "first strike," if need be. Some, including current Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, now espouse a "no first use" nuclear policy that would publicly remove such a threat. Is that a good idea? Or has the status quo served America well and kept us safe?
For the latest Newsweek "Debate of the Week," bestselling author and nuclear non-proliferation advocate Greg Mitchell debates Hudson Institute senior fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs on one of the most important, but perhaps one of the more under-discussed, U.S. defense policy questions: Should we adopt a "no first use" nuclear strike policy?
We hope you enjoy this important and informative Debate.
Josh Hammer, Newsweek opinion editor, is also a syndicated columnist and of counsel at First Liberty Institute.
U.S. Must End Nuclear 'First Strike' Policy
Seventy-five years have now passed since the United States initiated a policy known as "first use" with its atomic attack on Hiroshima. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, it was affirmed with a second detonation over the city of Nagasaki. No nuclear attacks have followed since, although many Americans are probably unaware that this first-strike policy very much remains in effect.
And that's a problem.
Reject 'No First Use' Nuclear Policy
There is an activist effort among nuclear idealists to mobilize public opinion and urge elected officials to pledge to support a policy of "no first use" (NFU). Put simply, an American president who would adopt a policy of NFU would be declaring that the United States will never be the first country to use a nuclear weapon in a war.
No doubt these activists were thrilled to see Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden offer an enthusiastic recent embrace of NFU. But his position is not new; at a campaign event last year, Biden confirmed that he has supported NFU for more than 20 years.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large and host, "The Josh Hammer Show"
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