The B-21 Raider and Deterring the Two-Pronged Nuclear Threat

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Last December, the United States Department of Defense unveiled the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, the newest American strategic bomber capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear munitions. Current planning has the US Air Force set to acquire at least 100 B-21s, with a few dozen of the bombers to be operational by the end of the decade.

Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and Director of the Keystone Defense Initiative Rebeccah Heinrichs led an assessment of the crucial role the B-21 bomber will play in simultaneously deterring the two near-peer nuclear adversaries the United States now faces—the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation.

The forthcoming report explores the B-21’s procurement process and lessons the DoD has learned for producing big-ticket items, the B‑21’s role in extended nuclear and conventional deterrence, the Raider’s role in facing the two-pronged threat, the number of B-21s the US should procure in an unprecedented threat environment, and more.

Contributors Mackenzie Eaglen, Jennifer Bradley, Rebecca Grant, Christopher Bowie, and Kari Bingen will join Ms. Heinrichs to give a preview of the findings of the report.