Nuclear No First Use: Ambiguity vs. Clarity

In a Presidential race dominated by immigration, trade, and an almost unprecedented level of political mudslinging, one could be forgiven for missing moderator Lester Holt’s question on nuclear “No First Use” (NFU) policy in the first Presidential debate of 2016. However, the issue of NFU has quietly become a hotly contested area of nuclear policy.

Donald Trump’s answer was self-contradictory, stating both that he would “certainly not do first strike,” and that he wouldn’t “take anything off the table.”  Yet, “oddly enough” writes Kingston Reif, Director of Disarmament and Threat Reduction Policy at the Arms Control Association and Cipher Brief expert, “Trump’s answer more or less captures the essence of current U.S. policy.” Although the U.S. is extremely unlikely to use nuclear weapons first in a conflict, Washington maintains the option to use nuclear weapons, even in cases where America or an ally has not been the victim of nuclear attack.