Jonathan Sweet and Mark Toth
Bob Woodward’s new book “War” provides a harrowing glimpse into the Biden administration’s national security decisionmaking process. Established early in the war, the White House created its own self-fulfilling prophecy.
President Biden’s self-imposed red line was his evergreen fear of Russian use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley inexplicably told the Kremlin all it needed to know when he asked his counterpart in Russia, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, “under what conditions would you use nuclear weapons?”
Milley was basically asking the Russians, “How far are we allowed to go? What are our limits?” He thus allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to establish our rules.
Gerasimov’s response was this: “If there’s an attack on Russia that threatens the stability of the regime — condition one. Second, is if a foreign power attacks Russia with a weapon of mass destruction — so that’s chemical, biological or nuclear. Third, Russia reserves the right to use tactical nuclear weapons in the event of catastrophic battlefield loss.”
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