U.S. allies, namely South Korea and Japan, may feel compelled to acquire their own nuclear weapons, if they were not confident in the reliability and credibility of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
That's according to the latest update made in the 'Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons' report for the U.S. Congressional Research Service last week.
The report notes that such calculations might be evident in Seoul and Tokyo as they face threats or intimidation from nuclear-armed neighbors like China and North Korea.
On the same day the U.S. Congress made this update, U.S. special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, during a speech at the University of Michigan on Friday, raised the possibility of South Korea and Japan acquiring their own nuclear capabilities should North Korea, U.S. denuclearization talks end up to be a failure.