mutual assured destruction
Nuclear deterrence doctrine
Mutual assured destruction is the military doctrine that nuclear war between superpowers would annihilate both sides, making such war theoretically unwinnable and therefore deterred.
The concept shaped Cold War strategy between the United States and Soviet Union.
Often abbreviated MAD, it assumes rational actors who won't initiate conflicts guaranteeing their own destruction: The doctrine of mutual assured destruction kept the Cold War from turning hot.
Study of strategic interaction
- brinkmanshipPushing conflicts to disaster's threshold
- escalationProgressive increase in intensity
- containmentPreventing hostile expansion
- balance of powerEqual distribution of influence
crisis management · preemption · grand strategy · realpolitik · domino theory · coercion · first strike · nuclear triad
Regulating weapons between nations
- non-proliferationLimiting weapons spread
- SALTNuclear arms control negotiations
- STARTNuclear disarmament agreement
- arms raceEscalating weapons accumulation between nations
test ban · nuclear freeze · reduction · verification · inspection · treaty · disarmament talks · limitation
Former communist superstate
- United StatesNorth American federal republic
- Cuban Missile Crisis1962 US-Soviet nuclear standoff
- KennedyIrish-origin surname, political dynasty
- KhrushchevCold War Soviet premier
Iron Curtain · Berlin Wall · NATO · Warsaw Pact · communism · capitalism · superpower rivalry · espionage
Fission-triggered mass destruction device
- hydrogen bombThermonuclear fusion weapon
- thermonuclearInvolving nuclear fusion heat
- ICBMOcean-spanning nuclear delivery system
- warheadMunition's explosive section
megaton · kiloton · fallout · radiation · nuclear winter · mushroom cloud · ground zero · fission
Stability through reciprocal threat
- retaliationPunitive response to injury
- stalemateMutual obstruction preventing progress
- standoffUnresolved confrontation between opponents
- nuclear umbrellaAllied atomic defense guarantee
credible threat · tripwire · dissuasion · proportional response · dead hand · counterforce
game theory
Study of strategic interaction
- brinkmanshipPushing conflicts to disaster's threshold
- escalationProgressive increase in intensity
- containmentPreventing hostile expansion
balance of power · crisis management · preemption · grand strategy · realpolitik · domino theory · coercion · first strike · nuclear triad · prisoner's dilemma
arms control
Regulating weapons between nations
- non-proliferationLimiting weapons spread
- SALTNuclear arms control negotiations
- STARTNuclear disarmament agreement
arms race · test ban · nuclear freeze · reduction · verification · inspection · treaty · disarmament talks · limitation · moratorium
Soviet Union
Former communist superstate
- United StatesNorth American federal republic
- Cuban Missile Crisis1962 US-Soviet nuclear standoff
- KennedyIrish-origin surname, political dynasty
Khrushchev · Iron Curtain · Berlin Wall · NATO · Warsaw Pact · communism · capitalism · superpower rivalry · espionage · CIA
atomic bomb
Fission-triggered mass destruction device
- hydrogen bombThermonuclear fusion weapon
- thermonuclearInvolving nuclear fusion heat
- ICBMOcean-spanning nuclear delivery system
warhead · megaton · kiloton · fallout · radiation · nuclear winter · mushroom cloud · ground zero · fission · fusion
balance of terror
Stability through reciprocal threat
- retaliationPunitive response to injury
- stalemateMutual obstruction preventing progress
- standoffUnresolved confrontation between opponents
nuclear umbrella · credible threat · tripwire · dissuasion · proportional response · dead hand · counterforce
- Cold WarBerlin Wall, Iron Curtain, arms race, Warsaw Pact, Cuban Missile Crisis
mutual assured destructionmissile defense
System intercepting hostile projectiles
damage limitation · civil defense · Star Wars · nuclear umbrella · counterproliferation
mutual assured destructionconventional warfare
Armed conflict using standard military forces
proportional response · proxy war · asymmetric warfare · decisive victory · decapitation strike
mutual assured destructionnuclear disarmament
Reducing atomic weapon stockpiles
peaceful coexistence · denuclearization · arms control · collective security · détente
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