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Nuclear strategy involves the development of doctrine
Military doctrine

Military doctrine is the concise expression of how military forces contribute to Military campaigns, major Military_operation#Military_operations_2s, battles, and Engagement s....
s and strategies
Strategy

A strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a particular Objective .Strategy is different from Tactic . In military terms, tactics is concerned with the conduct of an engagement while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked....
 for the production and use of nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion....
s.

As a sub-branch of military strategy
Military strategy

Military strategy is a policy implemented by military organizations to pursue desired Strategic goal s. Derived from the Greek language strategos, strategy when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general", 'the art of arrangement' of troops....
, nuclear strategy attempts to match nuclear weapons as means to political ends. In addition to the actual use of nuclear weapons whether in the battlefield or strategically, a large part of nuclear strategy involves their use as a bargaining tool.

Some of the issues considered within nuclear strategy include:



Many strategists argue that nuclear strategy differs from other forms of military strategy
Military strategy

Military strategy is a policy implemented by military organizations to pursue desired Strategic goal s. Derived from the Greek language strategos, strategy when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general", 'the art of arrangement' of troops....
 because the immense and terrifying power of the weapons makes their use in seeking victory in a traditional military sense impossible.

Perhaps counterintuitively, an important focus of nuclear strategy has been determining how to prevent and deter their use, a crucial part of mutual assured destruction
Mutual assured destruction

Mutually assured destruction is a doctrine of military strategy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender....
.

In the context of nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation

Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "nuclear weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty or NPT....
 and maintaining the balance of power, states also seek to prevent other states from acquiring nuclear weapons as part of nuclear strategy.








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Nuclear strategy involves the development of doctrine
Military doctrine

Military doctrine is the concise expression of how military forces contribute to Military campaigns, major Military_operation#Military_operations_2s, battles, and Engagement s....
s and strategies
Strategy

A strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a particular Objective .Strategy is different from Tactic . In military terms, tactics is concerned with the conduct of an engagement while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked....
 for the production and use of nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion....
s.

As a sub-branch of military strategy
Military strategy

Military strategy is a policy implemented by military organizations to pursue desired Strategic goal s. Derived from the Greek language strategos, strategy when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general", 'the art of arrangement' of troops....
, nuclear strategy attempts to match nuclear weapons as means to political ends. In addition to the actual use of nuclear weapons whether in the battlefield or strategically, a large part of nuclear strategy involves their use as a bargaining tool.

Some of the issues considered within nuclear strategy include:

  • Under what conditions does it serve a nation's interest to develop nuclear weapons?
  • What types of nuclear weapons should be developed?
  • When and how should such weapons be used?


Many strategists argue that nuclear strategy differs from other forms of military strategy
Military strategy

Military strategy is a policy implemented by military organizations to pursue desired Strategic goal s. Derived from the Greek language strategos, strategy when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general", 'the art of arrangement' of troops....
 because the immense and terrifying power of the weapons makes their use in seeking victory in a traditional military sense impossible.

Perhaps counterintuitively, an important focus of nuclear strategy has been determining how to prevent and deter their use, a crucial part of mutual assured destruction
Mutual assured destruction

Mutually assured destruction is a doctrine of military strategy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender....
.

In the context of nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation

Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "nuclear weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty or NPT....
 and maintaining the balance of power, states also seek to prevent other states from acquiring nuclear weapons as part of nuclear strategy.

See also

  • Assured destruction
    Assured destruction

    Assured destruction is a concept sometimes used in game theory and similar discussions to describe a condition where certain behaviors or choices are deterred because they will lead to the imposition by others of overwhelming punitive consequences....
  • Counterforce
    Counterforce

    Counterforce refers to the military strategy of targeting one's forces on the forces of the enemy....
    , Countervalue
    Countervalue

    Countervalue refers to the targeting of an opponent's cities and civilian populations. In contrast, counterforce refers to the targeting of an opponent's military personnel, forces and facilities....
  • Cost-exchange ratio
    Cost-exchange ratio

    In anti-ballistic missile defence the cost-exchange ratio is the ratio of the incremental cost to the aggressor of getting one additional warhead through the defence screen, divided by the incremental cost to the defender of offsetting the additional missile....
  • Decapitation strike
    Decapitation strike

    In the theory of nuclear warfare, a decapitation strike is a first strike attack that aims to remove the Command and Control mechanisms of the opponent, in the hope that it will severely degrade or destroy its capacity for nuclear retaliation....
  • Deterrence
    Deterrence theory

    Deterrence theory is a military strategy developed during the Cold War. It is especially relevant with regard to the use of nuclear weapons, and figures prominently in current United States foreign policy regarding the development of nuclear technology in North Korea and Iran....
  • Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations
    Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations

    The 2005 Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations is the current US doctrine on when and under which circumstances to use nuclear weapons.The doctrine cites 8 reasons under which field commanders can ask for permission to use nuclear weapons:...
  • Fail-deadly
    Fail-deadly

    Fail-deadly is a concept in Nuclear warfare military strategy which encourages Deterrence theory by guaranteeing an immediate, automatic and overwhelming response to an attack....
  • Force de frappe
    Force de frappe

    The force de frappe is the designation of what used to be a nuclear triad French Nuclear Forces, part of the military of France. France has the List of countries with nuclear weapons#Estimated worldwide nuclear stockpiles in the world, after Russia and weapons of mass destruction and the Nuclear weapons and the United States....
  • First strike
    First strike

    In nuclear strategy, a first strike is a Preemptive war employing overwhelming force. First strike capability is a country's ability to defeat another nuclear power by destroying its arsenal to the point where the attacking country can survive the weakened retaliation while the opposing side is left unable to continue war....
    , Second strike
    Second strike

    In nuclear strategy, second strike capability is a country's assured ability to respond to a nuclear attack with powerful nuclear retaliation against the attacker....
  • Game theory
    Game theory

    Game theory is a branch of applied mathematics that is used in the social sciences , biology, engineering, political science, international relations, computer science , and philosophy....
     & wargaming
    Wargaming

    A wargame is a game that represents a military operation. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short....
  • Massive retaliation
    Massive retaliation

    Massive retaliation, also known as a massive response or massive deterrence, is a military doctrine and nuclear strategy in which a state commits itself to retaliate in much greater force in the event of an attack....
  • Minimal deterrence
    Minimal deterrence

    Minimal deterrence involves the ability to respond to a nuclear attack with a minimal nuclear counterstrike.In contrast to mutual assured destruction, the counterstrike would not...
  • Mutual assured destruction (MAD)
    Mutual assured destruction

    Mutually assured destruction is a doctrine of military strategy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender....
  • No first use
    No first use

    No first use refers to a pledge or a policy by a List of states with nuclear weapons to not use nuclear weapons as a mean of warfare unless first attacked by an adversary using nuclear weapons....
  • National Security Strategy of the United States
    National Security Strategy of the United States

    The National Security Strategy of the United States of America is a document prepared periodically by the executive branch of the government of the United States for congress which outlines the major national security concerns of the United States and how the administration plans to deal with them....
  • Nuclear blackmail
    Nuclear blackmail

    Nuclear blackmail is a form of nuclear strategy in which an aggressor uses the Threat of force of use of nuclear weapons to force an adversary to perform some action or make some concessions....
  • Nuclear proliferation
    Nuclear proliferation

    Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "nuclear weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty or NPT....
  • Nuclear utilization target selection (NUTS)
    Nuclear utilization target selection

    Nuclear utilization target selection was a strategy developed during the Cold War as a means for one world nuclear power to achieve victory against another world nuclear power....
  • Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP)
    Single Integrated Operational Plan

    The Single Integrated Operational Plan is a blueprint which specifies how United States nuclear weapons would be used in the event of Nuclear warfare....
  • Strategic bombing
    Strategic bombing

    Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces....
  • Tactical nuclear weapon
    Tactical nuclear weapon

    A tactical nuclear weapon refers to a nuclear weapon which is designed to be used on a battlefield in military situations. This is as opposed to strategic nuclear weapons which are designed to threaten large populations, damage the enemy's ability to wage war, or for general deterrence....
    s


  • Bernard Brodie
    Bernard Brodie

    Bernard Brodie was an American Military strategy well-known for establishing the basics of nuclear strategy. Known as "the American Carl von Clausewitz," he was an initial architect of nuclear deterrence strategy and tried to ascertain the role and value of nuclear weapons after their creation....
  • Herman Kahn
    Herman Kahn

    Herman Kahn was one of the preeminent futurists of the latter third of the twentieth century. In the early 1970s he predicted the rise of Japan as a major world power....
  • Stanley Kubrick
    Stanley Kubrick

    Stanley Kubrick was an influential American-British filmmaker, screenwriter, Film producer and photographer. He directed a number of highly acclaimed and often controversial films....
    's Dr. Strangelove (1964), a film satirizing nuclear strategy.


Further reading

  • Baylis, John, and John Garnett. Makers of Nuclear Strategy. London: Pinter, 1991. ISBN 1-85567-025-9.
  • Brodie, Bernard. The Absolute Weapon. Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press, 1946.
  • Brodie, Bernard. Strategy in the Missile Age. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1959.
  • Dunn, Lewis A. Paris: IFRI Proliferation Papers n° 19, 2007.
  • Freedman, Lawrence. The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy. 2nd ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989. ISBN 0-333-97239-2 .
  • Kahn, Herman. On Thermonuclear War. 2nd ed. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1961.
  • Kaplan, Fred M. The Wizards of Armageddon. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983. ISBN 0-671-42444-0.
  • Kissinger, Henry A. Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy. New York: Harper, 1957.
  • Rai Chowdhuri, Satyabrata. Nuclear Politics: Towards A Safer World, Ilford: New Dawn Press, 2004.
  • Rosenberg, David. "The Origins of Overkill: Nuclear Weapons and American Strategy, 1945-1960." International Security 7, 4 (Spring, 1983): 3-71.
  • Schelling, Thomas C. The Strategy of Conflict. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960.
  • Schelling, Thomas C. Arms and Influence. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966.
  • Smoke, Richard. National Security and the Nuclear Dilemma. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993. ISBN 0-07-059352-3.
  • Wohlstetter, Albert. "The Delicate Balance of Terror." Foreign Affairs 37, 211 (1958): 211-233.