Blast from the Past: Examining Historical Army Approaches to the Nuclear Threat While Designing a Path for the Future
Abstract
As the American military returns its emphasis to great power competition, the Army must adjust its training, education, and posture to the pacing threat. The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review identifies the growing disparity in worldwide atomic weapon advances and the approach other nations, particularly Russia and China, take with low-yield battlefield nuclear weapons (LYBNWs). America's potential adversaries could exploit the Army's approach to low-yield nuclear weapons on the future battlefield. Creating a formation able to operate on an atomic battlefield is paramount to deterrence and achieving political objectives. This monograph examines the lessons learned from the Army's previous nuclear approaches during the Pentomic Division era in the late 1950s and on the integrated battlefield for AirLand Battle in the late 1970s through the mid-1990s. Proper focus on training increases readiness and projects credible deterrence to a nuclear threat. To prepare American ground forces for the reemergence of an atomic battlefield, the Army can extract lessons from historical nuclear approaches, provide nuclear training and education to tactical formations, and leverage existing competencies within interservice and government organizations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 07, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1173632
Entities
People
- Michael S. Schumacher
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College