The New Flexible Strategic Response Doctrine: Insights from Critics of Mutual Assured Destruction.

Abstract

The memorandum considers the flexible strategic response doctrine, adopted by the United States in 1974, displacing assured destruction as the rationale for nuclear strategy. Through this doctrine, deterrence of a Soviet attack was to be achieved by response with selective strikes commensurate to the provocations. The author states that this significant change in American policy was preceded by an impressive body of literature in scholarly journals, which criticized and proposed alternatives to assured destruction as a guide to US strategic policy. He examines a sample of this literature to explore the meaning of the strategic principles encompassed within the new doctrine. The memorandum also considers the implications of the new doctrine on strategic arms limitations, and the factors which appear to have facilitated the displacement of the assured destruction threat.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 13, 1976
Accession Number
ADA035324

Entities

People

  • Thomas L. Wilborn

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Continents
  • Deterrence
  • Displacement
  • Doctrine
  • Literature
  • United States

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