U.S. Nuclear Weapons: Changes in Policy and Force Structure

Abstract

The Bush Administration conducted a review of U.S. nuclear weapons force posture during its first year in office. Although the review sought to adjust U.S. nuclear posture to address changes in the international security environment at the start of the new century, it continued many of the policies and programs that had been a part of the U.S. nuclear posture during the previous decade and during the Cold War. This report, which will be updated as needed, provides an overview of the U.S. nuclear posture to highlight areas of change and areas of continuity. Analysts and observers have identified several issues raised by the Administration's Nuclear Posture Review. These include the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security policy, how to make the U.S. nuclear deterrent credible, the relationship between the U.S. nuclear posture and the goal of discouraging nuclear proliferation, plans for strategic nuclear weapons, and the future of non-strategic nuclear weapons.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 10, 2006
Accession Number
ADA453654

Entities

People

  • Amy F. Woolf

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Anti-Ballistic Missiles
  • Arms Control
  • Arms Control Treaties
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Fleet Ballistic Missiles
  • Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
  • Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Warheads
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Strategic Weapons
  • Treaties
  • United States Strategic Command
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Strategic Security Studies