By Kong Jun
孔君
The 2022 Nuclear Posture Review recently released by the US Department of Defense has continued the world’s only superpower’s Cold War mentality and hegemonism by hyping major country competition and bloc confrontation and taking nuclear deterrence as a tool of geopolitical struggle. The international community feels much concerned that America’s nuclear strategy will exert destructive impacts on the global strategic security environment.
美国国防部日前发布《2022年核态势审议报告》，延续美国一贯的冷战思维和霸权逻辑，渲染大国竞争和阵营对抗，将核威慑作为地缘政治博弈工具。国际社会普遍担忧，美国的核战略将对全球战略安全环境产生极大的破坏性影响。
The report shows that the incumbent US administration has turned its back on what it promised during the election campaign –the “no first use” policy and the “sole purpose” policy in which the US would only use nuclear weapons to prevent or respond to a nuclear attack , and continued the preemptive nuclear strike policy. Drumming about limiting the role of nuclear weapons while claiming to use them to deter both nuclear and non-nuclear strategic attacks – there is simply no better example of hypocrisy. The Executive Director of the Arms Control Association (ACA) of America said the latest report should have played down the role of nuclear weapons in America’s national security policy, yet it has given mixed signals.
该报告表明，本届美国政府并没有像竞选时承诺的那样采取“不首先使用”或“唯一目的是遏制或必要时报复核攻击”等核政策，而是延续了先发制人的核打击政策。美方一边高喊“降低核武器作用”的口号，一边声称要用核武器慑止核与非核战略攻击，虚伪面目可见一斑。美国军备控制协会执行主任表示，报告本应降低核武器在美国国家安全政策中的作用，却就此释放了混乱信号。
America’s nuclear strategy undermines strategic mutual trust between major countries. Dressing itself up as the victim, Washington has instead exaggerated nuclear threats from China and Russia and blatantly tailored nuclear deterrence strategies against them. China’s nuclear forces are several orders of magnitude below the US, and it has explicitly committed to the no-first-use policy at any time, under any circumstances. Frying the cold rice of “Chinese nuclear threat theory” will not change the fact that America’s nuclear weapons are posing a threat to the whole world, or prove the legitimacy of its nuclear expansion, but will only jeopardize the strategic security relations among major countries.
美国的核战略损害大国战略互信。美国将自己打扮成受害者，渲染中国、俄罗斯的核威胁，并公然对中、俄等国量身定制核威慑战略。中国的核力量与美国的根本不在一个量级，并且中方明确承诺在任何时候和任何情况下都不首先使用核武器。美方翻炒“中国核威胁论”，改变不了其核武器对全球造成威胁的事实，证明不了其核扩军的正当性，只会严重损害大国战略安全关系。
America’s nuclear strategy aggravates the risk of nuclear conflict. The Biden administration used to oppose his predecessor’s plan to deploy W76-2 low-equivalent nuclear warheads for a submarine-launched ballistic missile, but the new report not only made clear that this type of nuclear warhead will be used to deter China and Russia, but went further to deploy the adjustable-equivalent B61-12 nuclear aerial bombs. The Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races issued in January 2022 reaffirmed that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought ”. America’s promise is still lingering by the ear, yet now it is giving the dangerous signal of using nuclear weapons in real combat regardless of the aggravated risk of nuclear conflicts. How can someone go back on his words so easily and matter-of-factly?
美国的核战略推升核冲突风险。本届美国政府曾表示反对上届政府部署W76-2低当量潜射弹道导弹核弹头的计划。然而，此番发布的报告不但公然宣布将使用该型核弹头威慑中、俄，还表示将推动部署可调节当量的B61-12核航弹。今年1月，《五个核武器国家领导人关于防止核战争与避免军备竞赛的联合声明》重申“核战争打不赢也打不得”。美方的承诺言犹在耳，如今却释放出将核武器用于实战的危险信号，全然不顾加剧核冲突风险的后果，出尔反尔可见一斑。
America’s nuclear strategy stimulates a nuclear arms race. In possession of the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, the US shoulders special and priority responsibilities in nuclear disarmament and should slash the size of its nuclear weapons according to the international consensus. Yet the new report didn’t include any substantial nuclear disarmament measures, but instead upgraded the nuclear “triad”. Washington’s nuclear expansion steps will further damage global strategic balance and stability, and there is the chance of other nuclear states following suit, which will spur non-nuclear states to either develop nuclear weapons themselves for self-defense or seek nuclear protection, putting more hurdles on the road of nuclear disarmament.
美国的核战略刺激核军备竞赛。美国作为拥有最大核武库的国家，在核裁军方面具有特殊、优先责任，理应按照国际共识进一步大幅削减其核武库。在此番发布的报告中，美方不但没有任何实质性核裁军措施，反而要变本加厉升级“三位一体”核力量。美方的核扩军举措势将进一步破坏全球战略平衡与稳定，不排除引发其他核武器国家效仿，刺激无核武器国家“拥核自保”或寻求“核保护伞”，进而破坏核裁军进程。
America’s nuclear strategy erodes the international nuclear non-proliferation system. The US has been talking a lot about strengthening regional nuclear deterrence and put forth detailed plans for deploying strategic forces in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, including stationing strategic bombers and nuclear/conventional fighters and nuclear weapons in the Indo-Pacific. This, like America’s pushing for the AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation and indulgence in regional allies’ cry for “nuclear sharing”, fully exposes it as a downright saboteur of the international nuclear non-proliferation system for putting its own selfish geopolitical interests over its non-proliferation obligations.
美国的核战略破坏国际核不扩散体系。美方大谈“加强区域核威慑”，公然推出其在欧洲和印太部署战略力量的详细计划，以及将在印太部署战略轰炸机、核常两用战斗机和核武器。这与美方推动美英澳核潜艇合作、纵容地区盟国鼓噪“核共享”如出一辙，充分暴露其将地缘政治私利凌驾于核不扩散义务之上，是彻头彻尾的国际核不扩散体系破坏者。
The report pointed fingers at and made a groundless conjecture about China’s normal nuclear modernization. In fact, ever since it became a nuclear state, China has firmly upheld the policy of not using nuclear weapons first at any time, under any circumstances, committed to unconditionally not using or threatening to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states and regions, and kept its nuclear capacities at the minimum level needed to ensure national security. The US, sitting on its high horse for too long, should stop imposing its sinister and hegemonistic thoughts upon others.
美方在报告中对中国正常的核力量现代化指手画脚、妄加揣测。事实上，自从拥有核武器以来，中国始终恪守在任何时候、任何情况下不首先使用核武器的政策，明确承诺无条件不对无核武器国家和无核武器区使用或威胁使用核武器，一直将核力量维持在国家安全需要的最低水平。久居霸权地位的美国，应改变处处恶意揣度他国的霸权心态。
Right now, international security, arms control and disarmament, and non-proliferation mechanism are facing the greatest challenge since the end of the Cold War, while risks of a nuclear arms race and conflict have reached a much higher level. How the US will use its massive nuclear arsenal concerns world peace and development. We advise the US to heed the call of the international community, give up the Cold War mindset and hegemonistic logic, and adopt a rational and responsible nuclear policy to do something good and real for preserving world peace and stability.
当前，国际安全以及军控、裁军和防扩散机制面临冷战结束以来最严峻挑战，核军备竞赛与核冲突风险升高。美国怎么运用庞大的核武库，关乎世界和平与发展。奉劝美国倾听国际社会的呼声，摒弃冷战思维和霸权逻辑，采取理性、负责任的核政策，为维护世界和平稳定做些实事。
(The author is an observer of international issues)
（作者是国际问题观察员）
Editor’s note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
