ICBM
Long-range nuclear missile
ICBM stands for intercontinental ballistic missile, a long-range nuclear weapon capable of traveling thousands of miles to reach targets on other continents.
These missiles follow a high arcing trajectory through space before descending on their targets, and their existence has shaped global military strategy since the Cold War.
The term appears frequently in discussions of nuclear deterrence and arms control treaties.
Both superpowers maintained vast ICBM arsenals during the Cold War.
Of the USSR
- AmericanFrom the U.S.
- KremlinMoscow's fortified government seat
- PentagonU.S. military headquarters
- TitanMythic giant or moon
Satan · arms race · MAD · Khrushchev · Kennedy · silo · first strike · second strike
Path of moving object
- reentry vehicleSpacecraft portion surviving atmospheric return
- warheadMunition's explosive section
- boosterSomething that increases strength
- propulsionForce driving movement forward
guidance system · payload · thrust · apogee · launch sequence · silo · submarine-launched · Trident
Arms discouraging aggression
- strategicDeliberately planned for advantage
- first strikeInitiating combat unprovoked
- second strikeResponse to initial attack
- counterforceMilitary-targeted strike capability
credibility · stability · escalation · brinkmanship · retaliation · triad · survivability · mobile
Restricting weapons dissemination
- arms controlRegulating weapons between nations
- disarmamentReducing or eliminating weapons
- SALTNuclear arms control negotiations
- STARTNuclear disarmament agreement
inspection · verification · limitation · reduction · stockpile · delivery system · rogue state · North Korea
Soviet
Of the USSR
Titan · Satan · arms race · MAD · Khrushchev · Kennedy · silo · first strike · second strike · hotline
trajectory
Path of moving object
- reentry vehicleSpacecraft portion surviving atmospheric return
- warheadMunition's explosive section
- boosterSomething that increases strength
propulsion · guidance system · payload · thrust · apogee · launch sequence · silo · submarine-launched · Trident · gyroscope
nuclear deterrent
Arms discouraging aggression
- strategicDeliberately planned for advantage
- first strikeInitiating combat unprovoked
- second strikeResponse to initial attack
counterforce · credibility · stability · escalation · brinkmanship · retaliation · triad · survivability · mobile · submarine
nonproliferation
Restricting weapons dissemination
- arms controlRegulating weapons between nations
- disarmamentReducing or eliminating weapons
- SALTNuclear arms control negotiations
START · inspection · verification · limitation · reduction · stockpile · delivery system · rogue state · North Korea · Iran
- rocketsrocket, rockets, booster, boosters, rocket booster
- U.S. MilitaryArmy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Pentagon
- Cold WarBerlin Wall, Iron Curtain, arms race, Warsaw Pact, Eastern Bloc
- Military AcronymsAWOL, MIA, KIA, POW, NCO
- nuclear waratomic bomb, nuclear holocaust, nuclear arsenal, hydrogen bomb, mushroom cloud
- Cold War Armsnuclear bomb, hydrogen bomb, atomic bomb, B-52, MiG
ICBMtactical missile
Short-range military projectile
mortar · hand grenade · short-range missile · tactical nuclear weapon · rifle
ICBMcruise missile
Self-propelled flying weapon
torpedo · landmine · drone strike · gravity bomb · artillery shell
Defensive projectile destroyer
intercontinental, continent, continental, continents, ballistic, missile, missiles