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As a sub-branch of military strategy, nuclear strategy attempts to match nuclear weapons as means to political ends. In addition to the actual use of nuclear weapons whether in the battlefield or strategically, a large part of nuclear strategy involves their use as a bargaining tool.
Some of the issues considered within nuclear strategy include:
Conditions which serve a nation's interest to develop nuclear weapons
Types of nuclear weapons to be developed
How and when weapons are to be used
Many strategists argue that nuclear strategy differs from other forms of military strategy. The immense and terrifying power of the weapons makes their use, in seeking victory in a traditional military sense, impossible.
Perhaps counterintuitively, an important focus of nuclear strategy has been determining how to prevent and deter their use, a crucial part of mutual assured destruction.
In the context of nuclear proliferation and maintaining the balance of power, states also seek to prevent other states from acquiring nuclear weapons as part of nuclear strategy.
The doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD) assumes that a nuclear deterrent force must be credible and survivable. That is, each deterrent force must survive a first strike with sufficient capability to effectively destroy the other country in a second strike. Therefore, a first strike would be suicidal for the launching country.
In the late 1940s and 1950s as the Cold War developed, the United States and Soviet Union pursued multiple delivery methods and platforms to deliver nuclear weapons. Three types of platforms proved most successful and are collectively called a "nuclear triad". These are air-delivered weapons (bombs or missiles), ballistic missile submarines (usually nuclear-powered and called SSBNs), and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), usually deployed in land-based hardened missile silos or on vehicles.
Although not considered part of the deterrent forces, all of the nuclear powers deployed large numbers of tactical nuclear weapons in the Cold War. These could be delivered by virtually all platforms capable of delivering large conventional weapons.
During the 1970s there was growing concern that the combined conventional forces of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact could overwhelm the forces of NATO. It seemed unthinkable to respond to a Soviet/Warsaw Pact incursion into Western Europe with strategic nuclear weapons, inviting a catastrophic exchange. Thus, technologies were developed to greatly reduce collateral damage while being effective against advancing conventional military forces. Some of these were low-yield neutron bombs, which were lethal to tank crews, especially with tanks massed in tight formation, while producing relatively little blast, thermal radiation, or radioactive fallout. Other technologies were so-called "suppressed radiation devices," which produced mostly blast with little radioactivity, making them much like conventional explosives, but with much more energy.[1]
Heuser, Beatrice. NATO, Britain, France and the FRG: Nuclear Strategies and Forces for Europe, 1949–2000 (London: Macmillan, hardback 1997, paperback 1999), 256p., ISBN0-333-67365-4
Heuser, Beatrice. Nuclear Mentalities? Strategies and Belief Systems in Britain, France and the FRG (London: Macmillan, July 1998), 277p., Index, Tables. ISBN0-333-69389-2
Heuser, Beatrice. "Victory in a Nuclear War? A Comparison of NATO and WTO War Aims and Strategies", Contemporary European History Vol. 7 Part 3 (November 1998), pp. 311–328.
Heuser, Beatrice. "Warsaw Pact Military Doctrines in the 70s and 80s: Findings in the East German Archives", Comparative Strategy Vol. 12 No. 4 (Oct.–Dec. 1993), pp. 437–457.
Kaplan, Fred M. The Wizards of Armageddon. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983. ISBN0-671-42444-0.
Rai Chowdhuri, Satyabrata. Nuclear Politics: Towards A Safer World, Ilford: New Dawn Press, 2004.
Rosenberg, David. "The Origins of Overkill: Nuclear Weapons and American Strategy, 1945–1960." International Security 7, 4 (Spring, 1983): 3–71.
Schelling, Thomas C. The Strategy of Conflict. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960.
Smoke, Richard. National Security and the Nuclear Dilemma. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw–Hill, 1993. ISBN0-07-059352-3.
References
^Solem, J. C. (1974). "Tactical nuclear deterrence". Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Report LA-74-1362.
April 19, 2023
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This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information January 2016 This article is missing information about something Please expand the article to include this information Further details may exist on the talk page January 2016 This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Nuclear strategy news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Nuclear strategy involves the development of doctrines and strategies for the production and use of nuclear weapons As a sub branch of military strategy nuclear strategy attempts to match nuclear weapons as means to political ends In addition to the actual use of nuclear weapons whether in the battlefield or strategically a large part of nuclear strategy involves their use as a bargaining tool Some of the issues considered within nuclear strategy include Conditions which serve a nation s interest to develop nuclear weapons Types of nuclear weapons to be developed How and when weapons are to be usedMany strategists argue that nuclear strategy differs from other forms of military strategy The immense and terrifying power of the weapons makes their use in seeking victory in a traditional military sense impossible Perhaps counterintuitively an important focus of nuclear strategy has been determining how to prevent and deter their use a crucial part of mutual assured destruction In the context of nuclear proliferation and maintaining the balance of power states also seek to prevent other states from acquiring nuclear weapons as part of nuclear strategy Contents 1 Nuclear deterrent composition 2 See also 3 Bibliography 3 1 Early texts 3 2 Secondary literature 4 ReferencesNuclear deterrent composition EditThe doctrine of mutual assured destruction MAD assumes that a nuclear deterrent force must be credible and survivable That is each deterrent force must survive a first strike with sufficient capability to effectively destroy the other country in a second strike Therefore a first strike would be suicidal for the launching country In the late 1940s and 1950s as the Cold War developed the United States and Soviet Union pursued multiple delivery methods and platforms to deliver nuclear weapons Three types of platforms proved most successful and are collectively called a nuclear triad These are air delivered weapons bombs or missiles ballistic missile submarines usually nuclear powered and called SSBNs and intercontinental ballistic missiles ICBMs usually deployed in land based hardened missile silos or on vehicles Although not considered part of the deterrent forces all of the nuclear powers deployed large numbers of tactical nuclear weapons in the Cold War These could be delivered by virtually all platforms capable of delivering large conventional weapons During the 1970s there was growing concern that the combined conventional forces of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact could overwhelm the forces of NATO It seemed unthinkable to respond to a Soviet Warsaw Pact incursion into Western Europe with strategic nuclear weapons inviting a catastrophic exchange Thus technologies were developed to greatly reduce collateral damage while being effective against advancing conventional military forces Some of these were low yield neutron bombs which were lethal to tank crews especially with tanks massed in tight formation while producing relatively little blast thermal radiation or radioactive fallout Other technologies were so called suppressed radiation devices which produced mostly blast with little radioactivity making them much like conventional explosives but with much more energy 1 See also EditAssured destruction Bernard Brodie Counterforce Countervalue Decapitation strike Deterrence theory Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations Dr Strangelove 1964 a film by Stanley Kubrick satirizing nuclear strategy Fail deadly First strike Second strike Force de frappe Game theory amp wargaming Herman Kahn Madman theory Massive retaliation Military strategy Minimal deterrence Mutual assured destruction MAD No first use National Security Strategy of the United States Nuclear blackmail Nuclear proliferation Nuclear utilization target selection NUTS Nuclear weapons debate Single Integrated Operational Plan SIOP Strategic bombing Tactical nuclear weapons Thomas SchellingBibliography EditEarly texts Edit Brodie Bernard The Absolute Weapon Freeport N Y Books for Libraries Press 1946 Brodie Bernard Strategy in the Missile Age Princeton Princeton University Press 1959 Dunn Lewis A Deterrence Today Roles Challenges and Responses Paris IFRI Proliferation Papers n 19 2007 Kahn Herman On Thermonuclear War 2nd ed Princeton N J Princeton University Press 1961 Kissinger Henry A Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy New York Harper 1957 Schelling Thomas C Arms and Influence New Haven Yale University Press 1966 Wohlstetter Albert The Delicate Balance of Terror Foreign Affairs 37 211 1958 211 233 Secondary literature Edit Baylis John and John Garnett Makers of Nuclear Strategy London Pinter 1991 ISBN 1 85567 025 9 Buzan Barry and Herring Eric The Arms Dynamic in World Politics London Lynne Rienner Publishers 1998 ISBN 1 55587 596 3 Freedman Lawrence The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy 2nd ed New York St Martin s Press 1989 ISBN 0 333 97239 2 Heuser Beatrice NATO Britain France and the FRG Nuclear Strategies and Forces for Europe 1949 2000 London Macmillan hardback 1997 paperback 1999 256p ISBN 0 333 67365 4 Heuser Beatrice Nuclear Mentalities Strategies and Belief Systems in Britain France and the FRG London Macmillan July 1998 277p Index Tables ISBN 0 333 69389 2 Heuser Beatrice Victory in a Nuclear War A Comparison of NATO and WTO War Aims and Strategies Contemporary European History Vol 7 Part 3 November 1998 pp 311 328 Heuser Beatrice Warsaw Pact Military Doctrines in the 70s and 80s Findings in the East German Archives Comparative Strategy Vol 12 No 4 Oct Dec 1993 pp 437 457 Kaplan Fred M The Wizards of Armageddon New York Simon and Schuster 1983 ISBN 0 671 42444 0 Rai Chowdhuri Satyabrata Nuclear Politics Towards A Safer World Ilford New Dawn Press 2004 Rosenberg David The Origins of Overkill Nuclear Weapons and American Strategy 1945 1960 International Security 7 4 Spring 1983 3 71 Schelling Thomas C The Strategy of Conflict Cambridge Harvard University Press 1960 Smoke Richard National Security and the Nuclear Dilemma 3rd ed New York McGraw Hill 1993 ISBN 0 07 059352 3 References Edit Solem J C 1974 Tactical nuclear deterrence Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Report LA 74 1362 Retrieved from https en 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