Future Roles of U.S. Nuclear Forces: Implications for U.S. StrategyRand Corporation, 2003 - 128 pages Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has reexamined its basic assumptions about foreign policy and instruments of national security policy. This study examines the possible roles of nuclear weapons in contemporary U.S. national security policy. For most foreseeable combat situations, advanced conventional weapons are probably sufficiently effective if there are enough of them and they're used properly. Nuclear weapons remain the final guarantor of U.S. security, and the U.S. might wish to retain the traditional threat of nuclear retaliation to deter threats to its national existence. At the same time, it should have the operational flexibility to in fact use a modest number of nuclear weapons if the need was overwhelming and other options were inadequate. Training should include use of nuclear weapons in exercises. Any nuclear strategy the U.S. chooses will require a different set of nuclear forces and operations practices than it has now. |
Contents
I | 1 |
III | 3 |
IV | 5 |
V | 7 |
VI | 13 |
IX | 14 |
X | 24 |
XI | 33 |
XXXII | 64 |
XXXIII | 69 |
XXXIV | 70 |
XXXV | 71 |
XXXVI | 72 |
XXXVII | 73 |
XXXVIII | 74 |
XXXIX | 76 |
XIII | 35 |
XIV | 36 |
XV | 37 |
XVI | 38 |
XVII | 39 |
XVIII | 41 |
XIX | 47 |
XX | 48 |
XXI | 49 |
XXII | 50 |
XXIII | 51 |
XXIV | 55 |
XXV | 59 |
XXVI | 60 |
XXVII | 61 |
XXIX | 62 |
XXXI | 63 |
XL | 79 |
XLI | 80 |
XLII | 83 |
XLV | 84 |
XLVI | 86 |
XLVII | 92 |
XLIX | 94 |
LI | 96 |
LII | 100 |
LIII | 105 |
LIV | 106 |
LV | 107 |
LVI | 109 |
LVII | 113 |
LVIII | 121 |
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Common terms and phrases
100-kT warhead armored ballistic missile biological Bomb bomber Buchan Cold Cold War collateral damage command and control conflicts Contact burst conventional forces conventional weapons counterforce dealerting deeply buried facility destroying bunkers deterrence by threat detonated develop enemy example fallout Feiveson force structure Future Roles future U.S. nuclear gravity bombs halt an invading HOBoptimum ICBMs Implications for U.S. invading army issue kill range Kosovo large numbers levels military missile defense NATO neutrons nuclear attack nuclear capability nuclear powers nuclear proliferation nuclear threats nuclear war nuclear warheads nuclear weapon design operational options Overpressure Versus Depth Pakistan planning political possible potential probably problems RAND relatively require risk Roles of U.S. satellites Soviet Union strategic forces targets thermal radiation threat of punishment tion U.S. forces U.S. nuclear forces U.S. nuclear strategy U.S. nuclear weapons U.S. security U.S. Strategy United vehicles vulnerable weapon effects weapons to destroy yield