The United States faces an escalating threat of tactical nuclear weapon deployment, marking a "Second Nuclear Age" defined by low-yield weapons. Russia maintains approximately 1,500 non-strategic warheads, exhibiting a "launch-at-any-moment" posture in the Ukraine conflict. Iran, post-Operation Epic Fury, risks "loose" nuclear material and radiological "dirty bombs." China, surpassing 600 active warheads and developing low-yield theater weapons, makes the Indo-Pacific a nuclear tinderbox.
This elevates the probability of American warfighters operating in radiologically contaminated environments. Despite this, U.S. defense spending disproportionately prioritizes hypothetical biological threats; the Chemical and Biological Defense Program's $1.7 billion budget allocates only $15 million to Radiological and Nuclear (RN) medical defense. To address this, the article recommends a "Hard-Target" CBRN All-Hazards Assessment, designating the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps as Executive Agent for RN Defense, modernizing Title 50 of the U.S. Code, and immediately rebalancing FY2027 defense appropriations to fund critical medical countermeasures for acute radiation syndrome.
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