Crisis Relocation and Nuclear Deterrence
Abstract
The difficulty of providing adequate protection to the civilian population with some kind of civil defense program is magnified by the technology available in the nuclear age. The United States expanded their civil defense program in the 1950's to include a measure of protection in the event of the explosion of nuclear devices. However, the history of the United States civil defense program has been generally characterized by inadequate funding and little interest at all levels of government. Most recently, our civil defense program has been associated and considered a component of our nuclear deterrence. Under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, our government will rely on crisis relocation as the primary means of protecting the population in the event of a nuclear attack or detonation. This plan envisions that evacuation of the population from high risk areas to safer host areas. Does crisis relocation provide our country with a credible component to our nuclear deterrence? Do our leaders and citizens have confidence in our nation's ability to protect our civilian population? Have our leaders been completely forthright in preparing the population for the possibility of a nuclear war? These and related issues are discussed in this essay.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 07, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA170238
Entities
People
- Joshua L. Kiser
Organizations
- United States Army War College