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In his big Berlin speech on Wednesday President Obama proposed cutting US deployed strategic nuclear weapons by one-third if Russia agrees to similar reductions. The move met with approval from many arms control experts, who feel the world would be a bit safer if the two nations鈥� nuclear arsenals get smaller.

But Mr. Obama鈥檚 offer was only part of the US nuclear news of the day. The proposed cuts were part of new nuclear weapons "employment strategy" also announced by the White House Wednesday. In some ways that guidance may represent a more cautious, conservative approach to US policy than Obama鈥檚 bid for reductions would indicate.

鈥淔rom a nuclear arms control perspective, the new guidance is a mixed bag,鈥� writes Federation of American Scientists nuclear expert .

The White House says the new policies are meant to align US nuclear activities with the 21st century security environment.

鈥淭his is the latest in a series of concrete steps the President has made to advance his 鈥� agenda and the long-term goal of achieving the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,鈥� said the White House in a outlining the moves.

Among its highlights, the new nuclear employment strategy calls on the Pentagon to study ways of using non-nuclear strikes to accomplish some security missions now assigned to the nuclear arsenal.

鈥淎lthough they are not a substitute for nuclear weapons, planning for non-nuclear strike options is a central part of reducing the role of nuclear weapons,鈥� says a on the new nuclear employment strategy.

The report also calls on the Pentagon to study ways of lowering current nuclear alert levels. Given that the current world geopolitical environment makes a surprise first strike on US nuclear forces much less likely, perhaps fewer of those forces need to be on a hair-trigger, ready to launch within minutes of an attack appears on the way.

鈥淭he guidance directs DoD to examine further options to reduce the role Launch Under Attack plays in US planning, while retaining the ability to Launch Under Attack if directed,鈥� says the Pentagon report.

But the new guidance also makes clear that the US will continue to keep the size of Russia鈥檚 arsenal in mind when planning its own nuclear forces. It says 鈥渓arge disparities鈥� between the two country鈥檚 nukes could cause an unstable security environment.

That means the Obama administration is not about to cut US nuclear forces down in a 鈥渕inimum deterrence strategy.鈥�

鈥淭he new guidance requires the United States to maintain significant counterforce capabilities against potential adversaries,鈥� says the DoD report.

Nor does the guidance point the way toward the end of the US nuclear triad of nuclear delivery methods: bombers, submarines, and inter-continental ballistic missiles. It includes an explicit pledge to continue to fund such systems. It also calls for the US to maintain a stockpile of tactical nuclear weapons, and a stockpile of non-deployed strategic weapons in case flaws are found in any current system, or the world situation changes drastically and the US needs to 鈥渦pload additional weapons,鈥� in the report鈥檚 words.

In the wake of the president鈥檚 Berlin speech, some conservatives have denounced his proposal to cut deployed strategic weapons to around 1,000. Sen. Jon Kyl (R) of Arizona criticized it Thursday as 鈥渦nilateral鈥� and 鈥渞isky鈥� in a Time Magazine .

Arms control advocates, for their part, have been generally supportive of Obama鈥檚 nuclear policy rethink, but say he should be more unilateral.

鈥淲e possess far more warheads than are necessary for deterrence and a secure second-strike capability,鈥� Lawrence Korb and Alex Rothman, policy analysts at the left-leaning Center for American Progress.