The Nuclear Turning Point: A Blueprint for Deep Cuts and De-Alerting of Nuclear Weapons

ISBN-13: 9780815709534 / Angielski / Miękka / 1999 / 402 str.

Bruce G. Blair; Harold A. Feiveson; Harold Feiveson

Opis

Despite the ongoing drawdown of strategic forces under the terms of START, both the United States and Russia maintain large arsenals of nuclear weapons poised for immediate launch. Under the most optimistic current scenarios, these arsenals will remain very large and launch-ready for more than a decade. This book, by a distinguished group of coauthors, critically evaluates the current policy of retaining and operating large nuclear arsenals. It reviews US nuclear doctrine and strategy, and the role of nuclear weapons in deterring aggression by former Cold War adversaries and other countries with weapons of mass destruction. The risks of inadvertent as well as deliberate nuclear attack are assessed. The authors argue that small arsenals (low hundreds) on low alert satisfy all justifiable requirements for nuclear weapons. They present a blueprint for making deep cuts in US and Russian deployments, and for lowering their alert level.