On April 20, deputy director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Matthew Kroenig was cited in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal titled “Handing Putin the nuclear advantage.” This article cites an article that Kroenig wrote back in 2018 arguing for the United States to invest in tactical nuclear weapons by outlining a scenario where Russia invades Estonia and triggers NATO involvement.
The U.S. comes to the defense of its NATO ally [Estonia], but as American troops flow forward, Russia uses a tactical nuclear weapon on a U.S. carrier group in the Baltic Sea, killing a few thousand. If you were president, how would you respond?
Matthew Kroenig
Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.
