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Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations

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This article is part of the Center for Media & Democracy's focus on the fallout of nuclear "spin."

The Pentagon's unclassified draft of the planning document, Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations, which was reported September 11, 2005, to be posted online, [http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=1113918&C=america&P=true

was removed] September 19, 2005, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita told Agence France Presse. The "document was taken down 'because even in an unclassified world this is not the kind of thing you want flying around the Internet'," DiRita said.

The Doctrine "envisions the use of nuclear weapons to deter terrorists from using weapons of mass destruction against the United States or its allies." [1]

Contents

The Draft Document

The 69-page draft document dated March 15, 2005, "last updated 10 years ago," was being "updated to reflect the doctrine of pre-emption" declared by President George W. Bush in 2002. The Doctrine "makes clear that 'the decision to employ nuclear weapons at any level requires explicit orders from the president. ... But it says that in a changing environment 'terrorists or regional states armed with WMD will likely test U.S. security commitments to its allies and friends.' ... In response, the U.S. needs a range of capabilities to assure friend and foe alike of its resolve," the Associated Press reported September 11, 2005.

Documents

All of the following documents are posted on the Global Security website.

Related SourceWatch Resources

External links

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