This report is the second volume of a four-volume study that examines the risk of a military conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan escalating to Chinese nuclear first use, particularly looking at how the United States' employment of conventional joint long-range strike capabilities could trigger or at least contribute to this escalation. The aim of this volume is to provide background and context for the broader study, focusing on U.S. conventional joint long-range strike capabilities and employment options. To address the question of the nuclear escalation risks of U.S. conventional long-range strike in a war with China, the authors considered it important to first assess what capabilities would be available to U.S. leadership and how they might be employed. This consideration stems from the underlying hypothesis that different long-range capabilities and different types of long-range strike campaigns and associated target sets will have varying impacts on escalation dynamics. There is no singular or definitive answer to how the United States would employ conventional long-range strike in a war with China; in this study, the authors instead map out the underpinning logics and contours of the issue.