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The Pentagon has launched a review of U.S. nuclear posture intended to examine how the president could be given more options in a potential escalation, while officials said the country’s declaratory nuclear policy has not changed. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby announced the effort during a keynote speech at the 2026 Deterrence Symposium in Omaha, Nebraska. Adm. Richard Correll, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, discussed the review with reporters shortly afterward. Colby described the effort as a review, or “relook,” of nuclear employment guidance. He said it concerns the responsibilities of the STRATCOM commander and the authorities of the defense secretary, and stressed that he had made “no announcement of any kind of change” to Pentagon nuclear policy. He also said the review will not be released to the general public. Correll similarly said the United States has not changed its declaratory policy for nuclear and strategic capabilities. He framed the effort around expanding the options available to the president and providing “decision space for any conceivable escalation scenario.” Correll described that range as extending from non-kinetic capabilities and conventional forces to a limited nuclear exchange and higher levels of escalation. He referred to the approach as “escalation maneuver” and said it should be understood more broadly than U.S. nuclear capabilities alone. The review reflects longstanding U.S. concerns about a regional conflict involving Russia or China in which an adversary could use a lower-yield tactical nuclear weapon. Such a scenario could force the president to choose between not responding and using a much larger strategic weapon, potentially increasing the risk of further escalation. Colby said he feared a regional or local conventional war involving limited nuclear use more than a mass attack because such a conflict could escalate. The account also reported that the review is expected to examine the possible use of shorter-range tactical weapons in a regional war with China or Russia. Colby did not address that level of specificity in the remarks described in the account. He instead spoke broadly about the need for more “rational nuclear options” and about the role of diverse platforms and launchers in regional scenarios. Correll said a broader mix of capabilities could create uncertainty for an adversary about what was positioned in a particular region. In his explanation, that ambiguity would support deterrence by raising the threshold for an adversary considering theater nuclear employment. The review comes as the United States continues a nuclear modernization effort involving the B61 gravity bomb, the W88 warhead used on Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines and the W93 warhead planned for Ohio- and Columbia-class submarines. The modernization effort also includes two lower-yield weapons that have received funding. The sea-launched cruise missile known as SLCM-N was funded during the first Trump administration, while the lower-yield B61-13 was approved during the Biden administration. Warhead development is managed by the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, while the Defense Department manages delivery systems. The officials’ descriptions center the new review on employment guidance, command responsibilities and the range of capabilities available during a crisis. No decision to add tactical nuclear capabilities has been announced. (Breaking Defense)