I'm not a nuclear policy expert, but it is interesting to read about. My impression is that a lot of the improvements the Bulletin casts as destabilizing could

I'm not a nuclear policy expert, but it is interesting to read about. My impression is that a lot of the improvements the Bulletin casts as destabilizing could also be viewed as deterrents against some escalation scenarios. For example, Russia has stated that it reserves the right to use battlefield nuclear weapons if it is losing a conventional conflict that threatens it's sovereignty. If our only response to that is to nuke their cities, then they may reasonably calculate that they can safely escalate to tactical nuclear options. On the other hand, if we can respond in kind or with other effective counterforce options, they will have to think twice. It sucks, but deterrence is still the only thing we have.