From the report
One of the stated goals of U.S. nuclear weapons policy has been to extend deterrence to over 30 U.S. “allies and partners” and assure these countries that the United States will come to their aid, including potentially by using U.S. nuclear weapons, if they are attacked. The 2010, 2018, and 2022 Nuclear Posture Reviews (NPRs), which are periodic executive branch assessments of U.S. nuclear policy, argued for strengthening extended deterrence and posited that it supported U.S. nuclear nonproliferation goals. The 2026 National Defense Strategy did not explicitly mention extended deterrence, instead stating that allies and partners would “take primary responsibility” for their own defense with “critical but more limited U.S. support.”
Some Members of Congress have expressed concerns about the Trump Administration’s commitment to extend deterrence to U.S. allies and about some allies’ potential interest in acquiring nuclear weapons (so-called “friendly proliferation”).
