The United States’ forward-deployed nuclear weapons in Europe are critical to NATO’s nuclear deterrence. Investments in the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile will provide additional theater nuclear capabilities to the United States to meet security demands. Further, our adversaries continue to invest in theater nuclear weapons to offset the conventional advantage of the United States and create deterrence challenges at the regional level. A key element of current national military priorities is to be prepared for a fight against these pacing threats—China and Russia—which are nuclear-capable powers.
Since the end of the Cold War and the Goldwater-Nichols Act, nuclear and conventional planning and operations have been largely stovepiped. What are the broader implications for the Joint Force of increasing theater nuclear forces? How will the military have to adjust its conventional military campaigns to account for the potential of limited theater nuclear use? For integrated conventional-nuclear operations, a great deal of coordination and collaboration is needed, and the Joint Force needs to be able to operate in, around, and through a nuclear environment.
How should the Joint Force prepare to increase its resiliency and operate through a nuclear environment to achieve its strategic objectives? This requires an examination of the most salient challenges across the DOTMLPF-P (Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy) framework relevant to Conventional-Nuclear Integration (CNI). This research should evaluate these DOTMLPF-P elements across the warfighting phases of planning, operations, command and control, sensors for situational awareness, and survivability.
Ultimately, what are the most promising areas for research and development of scientific and technical capabilities to overcome these challenges and advance CNI across the Joint Force?