Reports: US producing new nuclear warhead in response to threat from Russia, China. Here is what we know

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

first nuclear warhead in four decades in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to 'The Mirror', Thomas Mason, Director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, has said that the US is adding a new weapon of mass destruction to its arsenal to keep up with the threat of nuclear war from countries such as Russia and China.

'W93 warhead'

Called the 'W93 warhead', it is the first new type of nuclear weapon produced at Los Alamos since the 1980s, after decades of not producing new weapons to avoid provocation. Taking part in the BBC documentary 'Nuclear Armageddon: How Close Are We?', Mason said that with nuclear rivals such as Russia and China ramping up their nuclear expansion, the US is now trying to address a 'new set of military requirements'.

Result of Russia-Ukraine War?

He further added that even before the Russia-Ukraine War, the US was already in the process of modernizing its nuclear systems. He said, «So right now we're amid a modernization that was conceived of before the significant change in the geopolitical environment.»

According to its website, earlier in 2020, Los Alamos considered developing the W93 only as a 'potential' new warhead. But after the Russia-Ukraine War began, it was decided last year to begin the design of the new warhead, which is set to be introduced in 2034.

US policy of non-proliferation

Mason also claimed that US policy for decades was «to not do anything towards developing new weapons, to not do anything that might be seen as provocative». But this policy wasn’t shared by its rivals. He said, «Russia went ahead and modernized their systems. In fact, they're largely complete with that modernization,