A Pentagon official has warned that regional conflict can lead to use of nuclear weapons leading to wider escalation and endangering the world. He said that such a regional conflict poses a greater danger than a surprise mass attack on the United States. The official has been identified as Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of War for Policy. He said that the consequences of a large-scale nuclear strike on the United States would deter countries capable of launching one.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/india-s-last-election-had-trump-invokes-india-while-pushing-us-voter-id-bill-1787014115814">'India’s last Election had...': Trump invokes India while pushing US voter ID bill</a> “What I would fear more is a regional war,” Colby told the 2026 United States Strategic Command Deterrence Symposium. He described the danger as “a kind of local war, conventional war that might have local employment, God forbid, of nuclear weapons that could escalate from there as it expanded outward.” “That would lead very rapidly to an incredibly pressurised situation that would be almost by definition not in our interests,” he said. He batted for safer options: “It’s not taking away options for the president. It’s adding credible options." He called the modernisation of America’s nuclear deterrent “the single most important initiative for the American military.”&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/within-30-days-trump-top-envoy-jared-kushner-gives-timeline-for-hamas-disarmament-in-gaza-1787014649346">'Within 30 days': Trump top envoy Jared Kushner gives timeline for Hamas disarmament in Gaza</a> Highlighting on the nuclear aspect with respect to China, he said that it has “created an unprecedented strategic problem.” “Unlike during the Cold War, the United States now faces two potential nuclear peers — China and Russia. I remain cautiously optimistic about the ability for us to maintain effective deterrence in the context of three sort of great power nuclear states. I’m not sanguine about that. If you can try to mitigate these pressures through engagement, through respectful dialogue, that’s totally consistent with being strong,” he said. &nbsp;<h2>What Marjorie Taylor Greene said?</h2>This comes after former US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed that the Trump administration is discussing the possible use of nuclear weapons against Iran in high-level strategy meetings. But she has not provided any evidence to support this allegation. “They are discussing using nuclear weapons on Iran in strategy meetings,” Greene said in a post on X on Sunday (Aug 16). “It’s real. I’m not speculating, I know,” she added.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">They are discussing using nuclear weapons on Iran in strategy meetings. Yes you read that correctly. It’s real. I’m not speculating, I know. And it’s pure evil. The last time a nuclear weapon was used was August 6th and 9th of 1945 on two cities in Japan, Hiroshima and…&mdash; Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) <a href="https://x.com/FmrRepMTG/status/2089069623706603837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Pentagon official Elbridge Colby warned that a regional conflict involving limited nuclear use could escalate into a wider nuclear war. His remarks come amid Marjorie Taylor Greene’s unsubstantiated claim that the Trump administration discussed using nuclear weapons against Iran

A Pentagon official has warned that regional conflict can lead to use of nuclear weapons leading to wider escalation and endangering the world. He said that such a regional conflict poses a greater danger than a surprise mass attack on the United States. The official has been identified as Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of War for Policy. He said that the consequences of a large-scale nuclear strike on the United States would deter countries capable of launching one. Also Read: 'India’s last Election had...': Trump invokes India while pushing US voter ID bill “What I would fear more is a regional war,” Colby told the 2026 United States Strategic Command Deterrence Symposium. He described the danger as “a kind of local war, conventional war that might have local employment, God forbid, of nuclear weapons that could escalate from there as it expanded outward.” “That would lead very rapidly to an incredibly pressurised situation that would be almost by definition not in our interests,” he said. He batted for safer options: “It’s not taking away options for the president. It’s adding credible options." He called the modernisation of America’s nuclear deterrent “the single most important initiative for the American military.” Also Read: 'Within 30 days': Trump top envoy Jared Kushner gives timeline for Hamas disarmament in Gaza Highlighting on the nuclear aspect with respect to China, he said that it has “created an unprecedented strategic problem.” “Unlike during the Cold War, the United States now faces two potential nuclear peers — China and Russia. I remain cautiously optimistic about the ability for us to maintain effective deterrence in the context of three sort of great power nuclear states. I’m not sanguine about that. If you can try to mitigate these pressures through engagement, through respectful dialogue, that’s totally consistent with being strong,” he said. What Marjorie Taylor Greene said? This comes after former US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed that the Trump administration is discussing the possible use of nuclear weapons against Iran in high-level strategy meetings. But she has not provided any evidence to support this allegation. “They are discussing using nuclear weapons on Iran in strategy meetings,” Greene said in a post on X on Sunday (Aug 16). “It’s real. I’m not speculating, I know,” she added.

Pentagon official Elbridge Colby warned that a regional conflict involving limited nuclear use could escalate into a wider nuclear war. His remarks come amid Marjorie Taylor Greene’s unsubstantiated claim that the Trump administration discussed using nuclear weapons against Iran

'What I would fear more...': Pentagon official warns of nuclear war after ex-Trump aide's massive claim

The US&nbsp;military has put countering China and Russia at the heart of a new national defense strategy unveiled on Friday, the latest sign of shifting American priorities after more than a decade and a half of focusing on the fight against Islamist militants.

The strategy document, the first of its kind since at least 2014, sets priorities for the US&nbsp;Defense Department that are expected to be reflected in future defense spending requests. The Pentagon released an unclassified, 11-page version of the document on Friday.

The so-called &quot;National Defense Strategy&quot; represents the latest sign of hardening resolve by President Donald Trump&#39;s administration to address challenges from Russia and China, despite Trump&#39;s calls for improved ties with Moscow and Beijing.

&quot;We face growing threats from revisionist powers as different as China and Russia, nations that seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models,&quot; Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in a speech presenting the document.

Elbridge Colby, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, said at a briefing with reporters that Russia was far more brazen than China in its use of military power.

Russia annexed Ukraine&#39;s Crimean peninsula in 2014 and intervened militarily in Syria to support its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Still, Moscow was limited by its economic resources, Colby said.

China, on the other hand, was described as economically and militarily ascendant by the document. It has embarked on far-reaching military modernization that Colby said was in &quot;deep contravention to our interests.&quot;

&quot;This strategy really represents a fundamental shift to say, look, we have to get back, in a sense, to the basics of the potential for war and this strategy says the focus will be on prioritizing preparedness for war, in particular major power war,&quot; he added.

The document also listed North Korea among the Pentagon&#39;s top priorities, citing the need to focus US&nbsp;missile defenses against the threat from Pyongyang, which beyond its nuclear weapons has also amassed an arsenal of biological, chemical, and conventional arms.

It said that while state actors would have to be countered, non-state actors like Islamist militants would continue to pose a threat.

The document said that international alliances would be critical for the US&nbsp;military, by far the world&#39;s best-resourced. But it also stressed a need for burden-sharing, an apparent nod to Trump&#39;s public criticism of allies who he says unfairly take advantage of US&nbsp;security guarantees.

Mattis said that the US&nbsp;military&#39;s competitive edge has eroded &quot;in every domain of warfare&quot; and blamed that partly on spending caps and congressional budget dysfunction.

&quot;As hard as the last 16 years of war have been, no enemy in the field has done more to harm the readiness of the US&nbsp;military than the combined impact&quot; of the caps and short-term funding.

In sheer spending terms, the United States&#39; military outlay per year is still far more than China and Russia, the rivals cited by Mattis. The United States is spending $587.8 billion per year on its military, China $161.7 billion and Russia $44.6 billion.

The Pentagon released an unclassified, 11-page version of the document on Friday

The US military has put countering China and Russia at the heart of a new national defense strategy unveiled on Friday, the latest sign of shifting American priorities after more than a decade and a half of focusing on the fight against Islamist militants. The strategy document, the first of its kind since at least 2014, sets priorities for the US Defense Department that are expected to be reflected in future defense spending requests. The Pentagon released an unclassified, 11-page version of the document on Friday. The so-called "National Defense Strategy" represents the latest sign of hardening resolve by President Donald Trump's administration to address challenges from Russia and China, despite Trump's calls for improved ties with Moscow and Beijing. "We face growing threats from revisionist powers as different as China and Russia, nations that seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in a speech presenting the document. Elbridge Colby, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, said at a briefing with reporters that Russia was far more brazen than China in its use of military power. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014 and intervened militarily in Syria to support its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Still, Moscow was limited by its economic resources, Colby said. China, on the other hand, was described as economically and militarily ascendant by the document. It has embarked on far-reaching military modernization that Colby said was in "deep contravention to our interests." "This strategy really represents a fundamental shift to say, look, we have to get back, in a sense, to the basics of the potential for war and this strategy says the focus will be on prioritizing preparedness for war, in particular major power war," he added. The document also listed North Korea among the Pentagon's top priorities, citing the need to focus US missile defenses against the threat from Pyongyang, which beyond its nuclear weapons has also amassed an arsenal of biological, chemical, and conventional arms. It said that while state actors would have to be countered, non-state actors like Islamist militants would continue to pose a threat. The document said that international alliances would be critical for the US military, by far the world's best-resourced. But it also stressed a need for burden-sharing, an apparent nod to Trump's public criticism of allies who he says unfairly take advantage of US security guarantees. Mattis said that the US military's competitive edge has eroded "in every domain of warfare" and blamed that partly on spending caps and congressional budget dysfunction. "As hard as the last 16 years of war have been, no enemy in the field has done more to harm the readiness of the US military than the combined impact" of the caps and short-term funding. In sheer spending terms, the United States' military outlay per year is still far more than China and Russia, the rivals cited by Mattis. The United States is spending $587.8 billion per year on its military, China $161.7 billion and Russia $44.6 billion.

Pentagon puts countering China, Russia at center of US defense strategy

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'What I would fear more...': Pentagon official warns of nuclear war after ex-Trump aide's massive claim

Pentagon puts countering China, Russia at center of US defense strategy