U.S. President Barack Obama is considering declaring a "no first use" policy for America's nuclear arsenal as part of a set of nuclear policy options he is expected to promote in his final six months in office, according to a column carried in the Monday edition of the Washington Post.
If Obama were to declare the policy, it would represent a landmark change in the U.S. nuclear posture. It would also weaken the country's nuclear deterrent as Republican lawmakers argue, and spark concern among Japan, South Korea and other allies under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
Quoting several U.S. officials briefed on the options, columnist Josh Rogin wrote the Obama administration is also considering scaling back budgets for modernizing the country's nuclear arsenal and seeking a U.N. Security Council resolution affirming a ban on the testing of nuclear weapons.