2023 Department of Defense
Strategy for Countering Weapons
of Mass Destruction
The 2023 Department of Defense (DoD) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Strategy outlines the Department’s guidance and approach to addressing the pursuit, development, and use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
The Strategy accounts for the Department’s priorities and approach to integrated deterrence set forth in the 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS) and addresses the current and future security environment, including the pacing challenge posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the acute threat posed by the Russian Federation.
The ability of both the PRC and Russia to procure, develop, and deliver WMD has progressed since the release of the previous DoD CWMD Strategy in 2014, which focused on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations and managing risks emanating from hostile, fragile, or failed states and safe havens.