Responding to North Korean Nuclear First Use: Minimizing Damage to the Nuclear Taboo

Abstract

This study addresses the issue of responding to the first use of nuclear weapons by North Korea, with an emphasis on restoring the taboo against nuclear use. In support of this goal, we conducted a workshop on April 23-24, 2019, to bring together experts in norm theory, nuclear strategy, and Northeast Asia. Building on workshop discussions, we developed recommendations for US government stakeholders. Primary among these is that the Department of Defense (DoD) take restoration of the nuclear taboo seriously as a US objective after an adversary's first nuclear use and undertake appropriate analyses and planning in advance to provide effective nonnuclear retaliatory options for the president.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 30, 2019
Accession Number
AD1089620

Entities

People

  • Camille Spencer
  • Erin Hahn
  • James Scouras
  • Robert Leonhard

Organizations

  • Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Arms Control
  • Arms Control Treaties
  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Cold War
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • International Security
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • United States Strategic Command
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Strategic Security Studies