Mutually assured destruction

Mutually assured destruction is a deterrence doctrine in which opposing nuclear powers each retain the ability to inflict catastrophic retaliation after a first strike, making nuclear attack appear self-defeating.

Second-strike capability: The ability to retaliate with nuclear forces after absorbing an enemy’s first strike. Survivable forces make the retaliation at the doctrine’s core credible.
Atomic diplomacy: The use or threatened use of nuclear weapons to influence another state’s decisions. Early postwar policy treated nuclear superiority as a tool of coercive diplomacy.
Nuclear disarmament: The reduction or elimination of nuclear weapons through unilateral action or negotiated agreements. It seeks security by removing arsenals rather than balancing threats of retaliation.
Arms race: A competition in which rival states expand or improve their military capabilities in response to one another. Efforts to secure a more survivable deterrent can spur reciprocal weapons expansion.
Nuclear triad: A nuclear force structure based on land-based missiles, submarine-launched missiles, and strategic bombers. Its three delivery legs make a disarming first strike harder to achieve.
United States nuclear weapons policy: The principles and plans governing the development, deployment, and possible use of U.S. nuclear weapons. U.S. strategy moved from seeking nuclear superiority toward accepting reciprocal vulnerability.
Nuclear superiority: A condition in which one state has a decisive advantage in nuclear forces or their use. The doctrine accepts reciprocal vulnerability instead of relying on one-sided advantage.
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks: U.S.–Soviet negotiations that produced agreements limiting certain strategic nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Arms limits sought to manage rivalry without eliminating retaliatory forces.
Nuclear command and control: The systems and procedures used to authorize, communicate, and execute nuclear operations. Retaliation depends on forces receiving valid orders after an attack.
Soviet Union nuclear weapons program: The Soviet state program that developed and deployed nuclear weapons and delivery systems. A growing Soviet arsenal made the prospect of mutual retaliation unavoidable.

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