3. Deterrence Without Nuclear Warheads?

The international system is unlikely to be rid of nuclear weapons anytime soon, but we are obliged to think strategically about how US military power might be used in a world where the nuclear sword of Damocles either does not hang so low or has disappeared entirely. Bernard Brodie wrote Strategy in the Missile Age. That title of the book rang true enough, but what he was actually talking about was strategy in a nuclear missile age. Indeed, it is sometimes overlooked that the development of nuclear weapons coincided roughly with the development of short, medium, intermediate, and eventually intercontinental missiles.¹ More attention needs to be paid to the contribution of missile technology to the deterrence equation, not only for the USA but also in general. In anticipation of the possibility of a post-nuclear age, we need to rethink our assumptions about how much missiles themselves can contribute to the goals of US strategy.