Minimal Deterrence Research

Abstract

The term "minimum deterrence" is generally seen as the ability of a country to threaten a potential aggressor with grievous nuclear retaliation, although short of national or societal destruction. The strategy of minimum deterrence is typically associated with small nuclear forces, like those of China, France, the United Kingdom, India, and Pakistan. This report provides an overview of each country's interpretation of minimum deterrence by summarizing their nuclear doctrines, force postures, targeting practices, and command and control arrangements, as reflected in unclassified sources. These overviews and the report's bibliography are intended to assist analysts in further research of this subject.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 17, 2001
Accession Number
ADA602249

Entities

People

  • Candice Cohen
  • Christine Razzano
  • Dean Cheng
  • Gregory F. Giles
  • Lara Cantuti
  • Michele Ledgerwood
  • Sara Whitaker

Organizations

  • Leidos

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Arms Control Treaties
  • Command And Control
  • Defense Systems
  • Employment
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Bombs
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Strategic Weapons
  • Treaties
  • War Colleges
  • Warning Systems
  • Weapon Control

Readers

  • Library and Information Science
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control