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United States: Bush Authorizes Nuclear Response to WMD Attacks U.S. President Bush last year signed a classified document that allows a nuclear response to chemical and biological attacks, the Washington Times reports today (see GSN, Jan. 29, 2003). “The United States will continue to make clear that it reserves the right to respond with overwhelming force — including potentially nuclear weapons — to the use of (weapons of mass destruction) against the United States, our forces abroad, and friends and allies,” National Security Presidential Directive 17, dated Sept. 14, said. The public version of the document was released Dec. 11 as the National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction. That document replaces the phrase “including potentially nuclear weapons,” with “including through resort to all of our options,” the Times reports. The reference to nuclear weapons in the classified document gives military and government officials “a little more of an instruction to prepare all sorts of options for the president,” a senior administration official said. An ambiguous nuclear stance, however, is still “the heart and soul of our nuclear policy,” the official said. The directive also indicated that nuclear weapons remain the primary U.S. deterrent, while conventional weapons “complement” the nuclear component. “Nuclear forces alone … cannot ensure deterrence against (weapons of mass destruction) and missiles,” the classified document says. “Complementing nuclear force with an appropriate mix of conventional response and defense capabilities, coupled with effective intelligence, surveillance, interdiction and domestic law enforcement capabilities, reinforces our overall deterrent posture against (weapons of mass destruction) threats,” it says (Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times, Jan. 31).
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