U.S. Nuclear Policy in the 21st Century

Abstract

Nuclear weapons will continue indefinitely to play an indispensable role in U.S. national security policy: as a hedge against uncertainties, to deter potential aggressors who are both more diverse and less predictable than in the past, and to allow the United States to construct a more stable security environment. Recent nuclear tests by India and Pakistan make it clear that nuclear weapons remain part of the security setting. The aggressive pursuit of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons by states such as Iran and North Korea underscores the role of deterrence as a central component of U.S. security strategy.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA394251

Entities

People

  • Robert Joseph
  • Ronald Lehman

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Arms Control
  • Biological Weapons
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Command And Control
  • Defense Planning
  • Department Of Defense
  • Infrastructure
  • Military Personnel
  • National Security
  • North Korea
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Security
  • Test And Evaluation
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Weapons
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Readers

  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Strategic Security Studies