The Dangerous Illogic of Twenty-First-Century Deterrence Through Planning for Nuclear Warfighting

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The Dangerous Illogic of Twenty-First-Century Deterrence Through Planning for Nuclear Warfighting

IN THIS ISSUE: The Dangerous Illogic of Twenty-First-Century Deterrence Through Planning for Nuclear Warfighting, Koreas Agree to Hold Third Summit in April, Reaffirm Resolve to Denuclearize, Collapse of Iran Nuclear Deal Would be 'Great Loss', IAEA Tells Trump, The U.S. is Accelerating Development of Its Own ‘Invincible’ Hypersonic Weapons, French Minister in Iran to Reaffirm Nuclear Deal but Set Out Concerns on Missiles, Putin Just Bragged About Russia’s Nuclear Weapons. Here’s the Real Story.

Published on March 6, 2018

The Dangerous Illogic of Twenty-First-Century Deterrence Through Planning for Nuclear Warfighting

John Gower

Within the next five years, the world will face for the first time since the early 1970s a world without meaningful formal arms control agreements, nuclear or conventional, between Russia and the United States. This is a profoundly important development for the role that nuclear weapons play in international security. Rather than be drawn back to Cold War principles that increase the risk of nuclear warfighting, however, nuclear-armed states should reconsider the demandingly different deterrence environment of the twenty-first century and shift their nuclear doctrines, postures, and capabilities unambiguously toward strategic deterrence.

Koreas Agree to Hold Third Summit in April, Reaffirm Resolve to Denuclearize

Byun Duk-kun | Yonhap News

South Korea and North Korea have agreed to hold a summit of their leaders late next month, South Korean President Moon Jae-in's top security adviser said Tuesday on the outcome of his trip to the communist North. Chung Eui-yong said the third inter-Korean summit, between Moon and the North's reclusive leader Kim Jong-un, will be held at the Peace House, a South Korean facility in the joint security area of Panmunjom located just south of the inter-Korean border.

Collapse of Iran Nuclear Deal Would be 'Great Loss', IAEA Tells Trump

Francois Murphy | Reuters

A collapse of the Iran nuclear deal would be a “great loss”, the U.N. atomic watchdog’s chief warned U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, giving a wide-ranging defense of the accord and his agency’s work under it. Trump has threatened to withdraw the United States from the accord between Tehran and six world powers, signed in 2015 before he took office, unless Congress and European allies help “fix” it with a follow-up pact. Trump does not like the deal’s limited duration, among other things.

The U.S. is Accelerating Development of Its Own ‘Invincible’ Hypersonic Weapons

Patrick Tucker | Defense One

Last spring, representatives from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, came to the office of then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work and laid out some hard truths about U.S. development of hypersonic weapons — the ones meant to travel more than five times faster than sound. The message from the military scientists: U.S. hypersonics aren’t keeping up with Russia and China.

French Minister in Iran to Reaffirm Nuclear Deal but Set Out Concerns on Missiles

John Irish | U.S. News and World Report

France's foreign minister visited Iran on Monday on a delicate mission to reaffirm Europe's support for a nuclear deal that opened Iran's economy, while echoing U.S. concern about Tehran's missile program and role in regional conflicts. Jean-Yves Le Drian's visit reflected French efforts to safeguard Iran's 2015 accord with major powers. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to pull out unless three European signatories help "fix" the deal by forcing Iran to limit its sway in the Middle East and rein in its missile program.

Putin Just Bragged About Russia’s Nuclear Weapons. Here’s the Real Story.

James Cameron | Washington Post

During his March 1 address to Russia’s Federal Assembly, President Vladimir Putin grabbed headlines by claiming that prospective additions to the country’s strategic nuclear arsenal would render U.S. missile defenses “useless.” Let’s break this down — here are four key things to know about Putin’s speech: 1) The weapons that Putin referenced range from the established to the outlandish

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

The Dangerous Illogic of Twenty-First-Century Deterrence Through Planning for Nuclear Warfighting