Deterrence theory is the idea that an inferior force, by virtue of the destructive power of the force' weapons, could deter a more powerful adversary, provided that this force could be protected against destruction by a surprise *****.
This doctrine gained increased prominence as a military strategy during the Cold War with regard to the use of nuclear weapons and is related to, but distinct from, the concept of Mutual assured destruction, which models the preventative nature of full-scale nuclear ** that would devastate both parties in a nuclear war.
Deterrence is a strategy intended to dissuade an adversary from taking an action not yet started by means of threat of reprisal, or to prevent them from doing something that another state desires
The importance of Deterrence
During the Cold War, the United States and the ** Union each built a stockpile of nuclear weapons. ** policy rested on the conviction that a nuclear war could be fought and won. The United States adopted nuclear deterrence, the credible threat of retaliation to forestall *.
To make its threat convincing, the United States during the 1950s developed and deployed several types of delivery systems for attacking the ** Union with nuclear weapons. By the 1960s, three such systems emerged as the basis of strategic deterrence:
- long-range manned aircraft carrying nuclear *****
- land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, and
- nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear ballistic missiles.
