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Test of the 1953 Upshot-Knothole series Grable nuclear bomb. Photo / Nuclearweaponarchive.org
Speaking at a conference hosted by the Air Force in Maryland, Richard said the United States must be prepared to rapidly increase its military capabilities against possible adversaries and protect its homeland.
“All of us in this room have gone back to contemplating … a direct armed conflict with a nuclear-capable partner,” he said, according to a summary of his Pentagon comments.
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“We haven’t had to do this for over 30 years. It’s not theoretical anymore,” he said.
He added: “Russia and China can escalate to whatever level of violence they choose in any domain with any tool of power around the world.”
“We simply haven’t faced such competitors and opponents for a long time,” he said.
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In Moscow’s eyes, the US is currently locked in a proxy conflict with Russia in Ukraine and has steadily increased its engagements in arms, intelligence and financial aid to Kiev since Russian troops entered Ukraine in February.
The current Russian nuclear doctrine allows the use of nuclear weapons in the event of a first nuclear attack on its territory or infrastructure, or if the very existence of the Russian state is threatened by nuclear or conventional weapons.
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